False claims circulate that FDA advisors have Pfizer conflicts of interests

Several conservative news sites have published stories challenging the legitimacy of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine approval based on supposed conflicts of interest in the FDA advisory committee. The stories highlighted FDA advisors who have previously been connected to Pfizer in some capacity, including advisors who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, mentored a researcher 10 years ago who now works at Pfizer, or sat on an independent monitoring committee for a different Pfizer vaccine, as well as a couple of people who previously received research funding from Pfizer. All of these facts are publicly available because members of FDA advisory committees are required to disclose all affiliations and potential conflicts of interest. They are also prohibited from serving as advisors on any products or decisions in which they have a financial interest, and none of the FDA advisors do with regard to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

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