The medicines watchdog has been called for an investigation after a number of prominent doctors took part in discussions about the Covid vaccine but failed to declare they were paid by AstraZeneca.
A number of high-profile doctors have appeared in discussions about the company’s vaccine on prime time television shows in recent weeks, but viewers were not informed that they had previously received thousands of pounds from the pharmaceutical giant.
In April this year, AstraZeneca admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid vaccine could cause a rare and dangerous side effect in a small percentage of cases. The following month, it was revealed that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was being withdrawn worldwide.
The statements sparked a new debate about the vaccine, and famous doctors were invited to television programs to discuss the results.
According to the records of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), Dr. is a regular speaker on the BBC. Ranj Singh was paid £22,500 by AstraZeneca in 2021.
Last month he led a debate on the BBC’s breakfast show Morning Live about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the “serious but rare” complications associated with it. He was unable to disclose payments from the pharmaceutical giant to either the BBC or viewers.
A BBC spokesperson said they were unaware of the payments ahead of the show, adding: “The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine segment was balanced and covered the reported risks and benefits. After this segment aired we became aware of Dr Ranj’s work for the manufacturer in 2021 and have now addressed this issue at the show .”
Dr Nighat Arif, who has become a familiar face on TV including BBC Breakfast during the pandemic, was paid £10,000 by Astra-Zeneca in 2022.
In April, he appeared on ITV’s This Morning to discuss possible side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, such as blood clots, and reassured people they were “very, very rare”.
An ITV spokesman said Dr. He said Arif’s analysis was “fair, accurate and balanced”, adding: “Within his capacity as a medical professional [she] He explained the scientific process by which the vaccine could cause blood clots.
He stated that this was ‘rare’ because the number of people identified as having clot problems as a result of the AstraZeneca vaccine was statistically small compared to the millions of people who received the vaccine. This is in line with information published by the Government this year. “He also touched on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the discussion.”
Dr Phillipa Kaye was paid £12,500 by AstraZeneca in 2020 and a further £9,000 from the same company in 2022.
He rose to prominence on social media during the pandemic, posting videos encouraging people to get the Covid vaccine; Some of these were officially introduced by the Ministry of Health.
In a post he made in April 2021 on “If caught, 2,000 people will die and one in 20 people (125,000) will get long Covid. The benefit outweighs the risk.”
Alex Fell, director of the medicines regulator, has been asked to investigate whether there have been any breaches of the ABPI code of practice for pharmaceutical companies.
The letter, sent by Graham Stringer and Lord Strathcarron, points out that section 24 of the ABPI act requires pharmaceutical companies to include provisions regarding the disclosure of such payments when entering into contracts with doctors.
The law states that “Companies must include provisions in their written contracts or agreements regarding the obligation of individuals to declare to the company that they are contracted persons when they write or speak publicly about an issue subject to the contract.” or any other matter relating to that company”.
Violations of the rules are investigated by the Prescription Drugs Code Authority (PMCPA).
Mr Stringer and Lord Strathcarron, co-chairs of the all-party parliamentary group on the pandemic response and recovery, say the watchdog must take action “to maintain confidence in doctors’ advice”.
They say: “Whether on TV or in a GP surgery, all payments made to them by pharmaceutical companies must be made public and fully disclosed. “If a potential conflict of interest is hidden from the public, trust is bound to decline, which is bad for everyone.”
All of the doctors made similar statements to explain that they were not paid by AstraZeneca, particularly in relation to the Covid vaccine. They say they were paid through a public relations firm to promote the pharmaceutical giant’s nasal flu vaccine.
Dr Nighat Arif said: “Just in the winter of 2021 I worked with Astrazeneca (through a PR agency) on an educational public health campaign about the nasal flu vaccine. All payments were declared in ABPI. “To be absolutely clear, I was not paid to promote the Covid vaccine.”
Dr Ranj Singh said: “The AZ Oxford vaccine was launched in 2020/21. I worked with AZ (through a PR firm) on a completely separate childhood flu campaign that was reported to ABPI in 2022. And I haven’t worked with them since. “I was never paid to promote Covid vaccines.”
Dr Phillippa Kaye said: “I have only worked with Astrazeneca (via their PR agency) on nasal flu vaccine education campaigns. The last time I was involved in the nasal flu vaccine education campaign was in late 2021. All payments have been declared to ABPI. To be clear, I have not received Covid vaccines.” “No money was paid to promote it.”
AstraZeneca declined to comment on specific cases but noted that this was an area governed by the ABPI’s code of practice, which applies to the entire pharmaceutical industry.
ABPI’s chief medical officer, Dr. Amit Aggarwal said they were “committed to transparency in the relationships between pharmaceutical companies and NHS professionals and are proud that the UK is helping to deliver this transparency”.