Just a few days ago, US drugmaker Pfizer dominated the headlines with the announcement of its new antiviral pill against Covid-19 can significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths. Pfizer's pill named Paxlovid can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent for adults at high risk of developing the severe disease when it was given within three days of symptoms appearing, the company said in a statement.
Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, called it a "real game-changer." The pill has the potential to save lives and eventually put an end to this pandemic. But a report claiming Pfizer CEO got arrested for fraud came down heavily on people who were excited about Pfizer's recent news.
The claim
A Canadian website called Conservative Beaver published an exclusive report, making some bold claims about Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla's arrest. According to the report, Bourla was arrested by the FBI on November 5 for fraud. The report also claimed that the police ordered a blackout on media reportage based on an order from a judge, citing this as the reasoning for the incident not being reported globally.
"According to an FBI agent that spoke to the Conservative Beaver, Pfizer lied about the effectiveness of the vaccines, and mislead [sic] customers about the serious side effects the vaccines can produce. Pfizer is accused of paying off governments and the mainstream media to stay silent," the report said.
The report of this arrest was widely circulated on social media, mostly by anonymous accounts. This made the report go viral, and many believed it to be true.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the claims made by the Canadian website about Pfizer CEO's arrest. Except for this one report, no other local or international newspapers have reported the news of Bourla's arrest, which is just as surprising as it is suspicious. Going through the article, it becomes clear that there are no facts or evidence to support the bold claims, photos or videos or even an official statement confirming the arrest.
To further corroborate the story, we found Bourla's interview from November 5 with CNBC, which is the same day Conservative Beaver published the report. There was no commotion or mention of Bourla's arrest or him being implicated in any way.
Even with a media blackout order, it would have been impossible to contain such a big story from getting out. The exclusive tag sticks here, no one else even ran to cover the story as it reeks of anti-vaccine propaganda.
Conservative Beaver is known for its anti-vaccine views, going so far as to even generate sensationalizing fake news that deceives readers about the effectiveness of vaccines. Many people called out the fake report for what it is.
After reviewing all the evidence, IBTimes has arrived at the conclusion that reports of Pfizer CEO's arrest are false.
