Fact Check: Was Pfizer CEO Arrested? What is Pfizergate?

New Delhi: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla was not arrested by the FBI. All the rumours circulating on social media about his arrest are fake news. Here’s a fact check:

Well, how did the rumour start?

The rumour appears to have originated with an article published on the website ConservativeBeaver.com. On the same day that the article was published, Bourla made multiple television appearances, talking about a new pill Pfizer has developed. Moreover, the reason that the mainstream press didn’t cover the story is because the Pfizer CEO was not arrested at all.

What is Pfizergate?

An article published in The British Medical Journal by journalist Paul D Thacker raises questions about data integrity, regulatory oversight and patient safety, citing activities at a company that carried out trials for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the article, “A regional director who was employed at the research organisation Ventavia Research Group has told The BMJ that the company falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators, and was slow to follow up on adverse events reported in Pfizer’s pivotal phase III trial. Staff who conducted quality control checks were overwhelmed by the volume of problems they were finding. After repeatedly notifying Ventavia of these problems, the regional director, Brook Jackson, emailed a complaint to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ventavia fired her later the same day.”

Ventavia laboratory is an American company specialising in clinical trials and commissioned by Pfizer to test the effectiveness of the vaccine to a small extent.