Pfizer's $2.3 billion settlement in 2009 included the largest criminal fine in U.S. history — this page documents Pfizer's full legal history, vaccine products, and clinical trial controversies with primary sources.
Pfizer is one of the four major pharmaceutical companies that sell and profit from vaccines on the CDC's childhood schedule, and is the manufacturer of one of the major Covid-19 vaccines (Comirnaty/BNT162b2).
Role in Vaccine Policy
One of the "big four" vaccine manufacturers alongside Merck, Sanofi, and GSK
Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer; implicated in the tinnitus adverse event controversy (see Gregory Poland)
Key Findings
Stanley Plotkin anticipated ongoing future payments from Pfizer as of his deposition (2018)
Tina Tan has consulting, advisory board, and speakers' bureau relationships with Pfizer
Covid tinnitus response: When asked about tinnitus following its Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer stated: "Tinnitus cases have been reviewed and no causal association to the Covid-19 vaccine has been established." — despite VAERS logging 28,000+ tinnitus reports.
In 2009, Pfizer paid $2.3 billion to settle the largest criminal healthcare fraud case in U.S. history with the Department of Justice. The settlement included a $1.195 billion criminal fine for fraudulently promoting drugs for uses the FDA had not approved. This is the same company that manufactures Prevnar (PCV), Gardasil 9 (HPV, via Merck), and the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine.
How did Pfizer handle Maddie de Garay's injuries in its COVID vaccine trial?
Twelve-year-old Maddie de Garay was rushed to the ER within hours of her second Pfizer dose and ended up in a wheelchair with a feeding tube. Pfizer reported her injuries to the FDA as "functional abdominal pain." Only after a tech entrepreneur emailed the FDA Commissioner did the agency ask Pfizer for more information. Pfizer's paid principal investigator concluded he did not "feel" the injuries were vaccine-related, and the FDA accepted this.
What did Pfizer's COVID vaccine trial show about deaths in the vaccinated group?
Official FDA documentation of Pfizer's COVID-19 trial showed 21 deaths in the vaccinated group and 17 deaths in the placebo group — more deaths among vaccinated participants. The FDA allowed Pfizer to explain each death individually as unrelated to the vaccine, while accepting a simple statistical comparison (8 vs. 162 symptomatic cases) for the efficacy calculation. Aaron Siri characterizes this as an asymmetric evidence standard.
Which vaccine advisors have financial ties to Pfizer?
Stanley Plotkin anticipated ongoing future payments from Pfizer as of his 2018 deposition. Tina Tan has consulting, advisory board, speakers' bureau, and research funding relationships with Pfizer. Kathryn Edwards served on Pfizer's COVID vaccine data safety monitoring board after prior paid consulting for the company. Gregory Poland consults for Pfizer while editing the journal Vaccine.
How did Pfizer respond to 28,000+ VAERS reports of tinnitus after its COVID vaccine?
Pfizer stated: "Tinnitus cases have been reviewed and no causal association to the Covid-19 vaccine has been established." The CDC similarly stated the data was "not sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists." Gregory Poland, a leading vaccinologist who developed severe tinnitus after Pfizer's vaccine, demanded mechanistic studies to establish causation — studies no one has funded.
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