Moderna risks UK suspension over cash and toys offered to kids
US 'big pharma' company Moderna could be suspended or expelled from a UK trade body after breaches of industry rules, including offering children cash and teddy bears to take part in Covid vaccine trials, The Telegraph reported. Moderna, which joined the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in 2023, now faces an audit that could result in its suspension or expulsion. A new ruling is expected to be published in the coming days, according to The Telegraph. If sanctioned, it would become the tenth firm to face suspension from the ABPI in the past 40 years, the newspaper wrote.The UK's drug watchdog, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), said Moderna's lack of transparency was "unacceptable" and damaged the industry's reputation.In October 2024, Moderna was fined £14,000 ($17,850) after a WhatsApp message offered £1,500 ($1,872) to minors to join the NextCOVE Covid booster trial. Although the company later reduced the payment to £185 ($231), at least one site continued promoting the original offer. The PMCPA said the payment was 'much higher than would be considered a reasonable reimbursement' and ruled that it discredited the pharmaceutical industry.
In a separate case, Moderna was fined nearly £44,000 ($56,000) after Britain's pharmaceutical watchdog found it had damaged the industry's reputation. In 2023, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust published adverts aimed at children aged 12 and over, offering 'a lovely certificate and a 'be part of the research' teddy bear.' Two online articles also promoted recruitment.A senior Moderna employee co-authored promotional articles, including one with former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, without disclosing his affiliation, the Telegraph reported. The employee also sent promotional tweets without revealing his role.The PMCPA said Moderna 'misled regulators' about when it learned of the breaches. While the company claimed it acted promptly after being informed in January 2024, evidence showed executives had been alerted by UsForThem in August 2023.The findings showed 'how readily [Moderna] put profit ahead of the health and safety of children' and 'laid bare just how little regard it has had for the regulatory system that was supposed to keep it honest,' Molly Kingsley, founder of UsForThem, told the newspaper.COVID-19 vaccines, including Moderna's Spikevax, may lead to side effects in minors, such as pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, fever, and, in rare cases, myocarditis or pericarditis, according to health authorities.
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Russia Today
28-04-2025
- Russia Today
Moderna risks UK suspension over cash and toys offered to kids
US 'big pharma' company Moderna could be suspended or expelled from a UK trade body after breaches of industry rules, including offering children cash and teddy bears to take part in Covid vaccine trials, The Telegraph reported. Moderna, which joined the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in 2023, now faces an audit that could result in its suspension or expulsion. A new ruling is expected to be published in the coming days, according to The Telegraph. If sanctioned, it would become the tenth firm to face suspension from the ABPI in the past 40 years, the newspaper UK's drug watchdog, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), said Moderna's lack of transparency was "unacceptable" and damaged the industry's October 2024, Moderna was fined £14,000 ($17,850) after a WhatsApp message offered £1,500 ($1,872) to minors to join the NextCOVE Covid booster trial. Although the company later reduced the payment to £185 ($231), at least one site continued promoting the original offer. The PMCPA said the payment was 'much higher than would be considered a reasonable reimbursement' and ruled that it discredited the pharmaceutical industry. In a separate case, Moderna was fined nearly £44,000 ($56,000) after Britain's pharmaceutical watchdog found it had damaged the industry's reputation. In 2023, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust published adverts aimed at children aged 12 and over, offering 'a lovely certificate and a 'be part of the research' teddy bear.' Two online articles also promoted recruitment.A senior Moderna employee co-authored promotional articles, including one with former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, without disclosing his affiliation, the Telegraph reported. The employee also sent promotional tweets without revealing his PMCPA said Moderna 'misled regulators' about when it learned of the breaches. While the company claimed it acted promptly after being informed in January 2024, evidence showed executives had been alerted by UsForThem in August findings showed 'how readily [Moderna] put profit ahead of the health and safety of children' and 'laid bare just how little regard it has had for the regulatory system that was supposed to keep it honest,' Molly Kingsley, founder of UsForThem, told the vaccines, including Moderna's Spikevax, may lead to side effects in minors, such as pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, fever, and, in rare cases, myocarditis or pericarditis, according to health authorities.
Russia Today
21-04-2025
- Russia Today
Airbus pulls back on ‘green' jet
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is scaling back its hydrogen-powered jet project after spending nearly $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing sources. The company announced in 2020 that it aimed to launch a zero-emission, H2-powered aircraft by 2035, calling it a potential breakthrough for aviation. Some industry executives had questioned whether the technology would be ready in time. People familiar with the matter told the WSJ that Airbus had already spent more than $1.7 billion on the project, but concluded over the past year that technical hurdles and sluggish adoption of hydrogen across the economy would prevent it from meeting its target, according to a report on Sunday. In early February, Airbus informed staff that the project's budget would be cut and its timeline delayed, the sources said. A new schedule was not provided. Later that month, CEO Guillaume Faury – who had initially described the hydrogen push as 'a historic moment' – admitted the effort had not led to a commercially viable aircraft. Engineers would return to the drawing board in a second 'development loop,' he reportedly said. Airbus's efforts to enlist a dozen airlines and more than 200 airports to explore hydrogen integration raised eyebrows, with airline and supplier executives privately doubting the 2035 target. At US rival Boeing – long skeptical of hydrogen – executives voiced concerns over safety and the technology's readiness. The EU has pushed aviation to decarbonize under its Green Deal, which aims to make the bloc climate-neutral by 2050. Airbus, partly owned by the French state, was required to channel part of a €15 billion (over $16 billion) Covid-era bailout into green aircraft development. According to the WSJ report, the hydrogen program had helped Airbus unlock additional public and private green funding. The retreat comes as wider enthusiasm for hydrogen fades, with companies like oil major BP and Finnish producer Neste scrapping plans for hydrogen projects. Some major European power companies have been rethinking amid high costs and difficulty transitioning away from fossil fuels, according to leading industry magazine Windpower Monthly.
Russia Today
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UK would back giving German missiles to Ukraine
The UK would support Germany if it decides to give long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday, citing British government sources. London has long backed arming Kiev with the German-made weapons, which have a 500km range and are capable of striking targets deep into Russian territory, the report stated. Moscow has warned that supplying long-range missiles to Kiev and allowing it to strike Russian territory will be considered an escalation of hostilities. 'We continue to work with our partners, including Germany, to equip Ukraine as best we can to defend its sovereign territory,' a British foreign policy official told the outlet, commenting on the potential Taurus deliveries. The report follows recent remarks by incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who signaled he was willing to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev. 'I have always said that I would do it,' Merz told German state broadcaster ARD on Sunday. READ MORE: Incoming German chancellor will change mind on missiles for Ukraine – SPD 'Our European partners are already supplying cruise missiles… The British are doing it, the French are doing it, and the Americans are doing it,' he added, referencing the UK's Storm Shadow and France's Scalp missiles respectively. The move must be agreed upon with Berlin's European partners, Merz said. His CDU party has said the missiles could be used to strike Russian command centers and supply routes, including the Kerch Bridge to Crimea. Merz's stance contrasts sharply with that of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has repeatedly refused to give Kiev Taurus missiles and warned that the move could escalate the conflict and draw Germany directly into war with Moscow. Merz is expected to take office in May, once his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) finalize a coalition agreement. CDU defense spokesman Roderich Kiesewetter told The Telegraph that the missile delivery issue 'remains a point of contention' in coalition talks. READ MORE: Medvedev brands incoming German chancellor a 'Nazi' SPD members have expressed concern over the Taurus' range and power, arguing it poses a greater escalation risk than British or French systems. Party leader Matthias Miersch this week suggested Merz might change course once he receives classified intelligence on the missiles. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, an SPD member, has previously stated there are 'many good arguments' against the delivery, citing confidential national security concerns. Moscow has repeatedly warned that Western arms supplies won't stop it from achieving its goals in the Ukraine conflict and that such deliveries only drag out the conflict and hinder peace efforts.
