Some social media accounts expressed outrage over a Pfizer ad about future cancer treatments that aired during the Super Bowl. Some posts criticized a starting player’s participation in a previous Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine ad, while others accused the pharmaceutical giant of producing cancer drugs to treat so-called “turbo cancers” allegedly linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
The claims received considerable attention—and pushback—due to the high-profile nature of the game. Debunking messaging may explain that turbo cancer is a made-up term circulated by vaccine opponents and that the claim that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause or accelerate cancer is an anti-vaccine myth. Talking points may emphasize that over three years of scientific research and safety monitoring have found no link between any COVID-19 vaccine and cancer.
