{"id":184480,"date":"2021-05-10T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=184480"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:08:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:08:42","slug":"the-ex-pfizer-scientist-who-became-an-anti-vax-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/05\/the-ex-pfizer-scientist-who-became-an-anti-vax-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ex-Pfizer Scientist Who Became an Anti-Vax Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Skeptic’s Story<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Michael Yeadon was a scientific researcher and vice president at drugs giant Pfizer Inc. He co-founded a successful biotech. Then his career took an unexpected turn.<\/em><\/p>\n

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18 Mar 2021 – <\/em>Late last year, a semi-retired British scientist co-authored a petition to Europe\u2019s medicines regulator. The petitioners made a bold demand: Halt COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.<\/p>\n

Even bolder was their argument for doing so: They speculated, without providing evidence, that the vaccines could cause infertility in women.<\/p>\n

The document appeared on a German website on Dec.1. Scientists denounced the theory. Regulators weren\u2019t swayed, either: Weeks later, the European Medicines Agency approved the European Union\u2019s first COVID-19 shot, co-developed by Pfizer Inc. But damage was already done.<\/p>\n

Social media quickly spread exaggerated claims that COVID-19 jabs cause female infertility. Within weeks, doctors and nurses in Britain began reporting that concerned women were asking them whether it was true, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. In January, a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation\u00a0(KFF), a non-profit organization, found that 13% of unvaccinated people in the United States had heard that \u201cCOVID-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility.\u201d<\/p>\n

What gave the debunked claim credibility was that one of the petition\u2019s co-authors, Michael Yeadon, wasn\u2019t just any scientist. The 60-year-old is a former vice president of Pfizer, where he spent 16 years as an allergy and respiratory researcher. He later co-founded a biotech firm that the Swiss drugmaker Novartis purchased for at least $325 million.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese claims are false, dangerous and deeply irresponsible.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n