A member of the U.K. Parliament is calling for regulators to audit pharmaceutical companies that have made misleading statements to the public about their Covid-19 vaccines. And the move comes after Moderna was chastised for the second time in five months by a U.K. trade group over its attempts to recruit children into a late-stage clinical trial for its Covid shot.
In the latest instance, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, a self-regulating arm of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, pointed to two online articles and four tweets that were made in connection with recruiting patients. The oversight body noted the communications had not been subject to the regulatory approval process.
Moreover, one tweet was found to be “unacceptable” because it used a photograph of a 12-year-old girl with a teddy bear and certificate, along with language encouraging children to take part in the Phase 3 trial. Another photograph appeared to show the child with her mother and a pediatrician. The recruitment center then responded to its own post by providing contact info to participate.
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