Fact check: Resolved lawsuits against Pfizer alleged marketing fraud, data manipulation
Adrienne Dunn, 19 May 2021
The claim: Pfizer was sued for $2.3 billion for “bribing doctors and suppressing adverse trial results” A viral social media post suggests that Americans shouldn’t trust Pfizer — one of the primary producers of coronavirus vaccines — because of a 2009 lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company.
The April 26 Instagram post claims, “Pfizer got sued for $2,300,000,000 in 2009 for ‘bribing doctors and suppressing adverse trial results.'”
The caption reads, “And you still trust them ?? With your babies ???” The post appears to be referencing a $2.3 billion settlement by Pfizer in 2009, but it’s misleading about the scope of the allegations relating to the settlement.
Fact check:COVID-19 vaccines won’t make the common cold or flu ‘extremely lethal’
The post appears to reference a settlement involving Pfizer in which the company pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge relating to the marketing of four drugs. The company agreed to pay $2.3 billion as part of the settlement.
The Pharmacia & Upjohn Company — a subsidiary of Pfizer — agreed to plead guilty to a felony violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for misbranding the painkiller Bextra “with the intent to defraud or mislead,” according to the Department of Justice.
