Pfizer Finds Counterfeit Versions of its COVID-19 Vaccine in Mexico, Poland

As global criminals step up efforts to exploit the pandemic, Pfizer is combating the sale of counterfeit versions of its COVID-19 vaccines in Mexico and Poland.

The drugmaker said it tested vials from Mexico and found that 80 individuals at a Mexican clinic received a fraudulent dose costing $1,000 each. The vials, which were transported in beer coolers, reportedly had incorrect lot numbers and an erroneous expiration date.

The company also reported fake vaccine doses in Poland, where numerous vials were confiscated in an apartment and the man living there was arrested. No one is believed to have received a shot of that counterfeit product.

Pfizer expects to see an “increase in the prevalence of fraud, counterfeit and other illicit activity as it relates to vaccines and treatments for COVID-19,” a company spokesperson told FDAnews, adding that the “ease and convenience of e-commerce and anonymity afforded by the internet”  facilitates such schemes.

The N.Y. drugmaker also warned that patients should be inoculated at official vaccination centers or by certified healthcare providers and should never try to get a vaccine from unofficial websites.

Pfizer has a team of former law enforcement and forensic scientists that is working with governments, law enforcement and healthcare providers “to identify threats to the legitimate supply chain,” the company said.

The FDA also created a team last year to investigate such products in Operation Quack Hack. The agency had received 1,354 reports of fraudulent COVID-19 products as of March 25.

As of late March, Quack Hack had “reviewed thousands of websites, social media posts and online marketplace listings, resulting in over 170 Warning Letters to sellers, more than 297 reports sent to online marketplaces and more than 288 abuse complaints sent to domain registrars,” the agency said.

Many of these products have been fake COVID-19 diagnostic tests or products claiming to treat or cure the disease. But the presence of multiple vaccines now means that the agency also needs   to target counterfeit vaccines.

The agency did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. ― Jason Scott