After Pfizer this week confirmed reports in the Wall Street Journal that counterfeit versions of its coronavirus vaccine have been identified in Poland, the Polish health ministry has assured that it is almost impossible for them to have entered official circulation.
It remains unconfirmed exactly when and where the fake doses were discovered, but it appears that it may have taken place in January as part of a television investigation.
Pfizer has identified counterfeit versions of its coronavirus vaccine in Poland and Mexico.
In Poland, the vials actually contained anti-wrinkle treatment. The man in possession of them was caught before any shots were administered https://t.co/gZbeaRTOv6
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 21, 2021
“We believe that the risk of any counterfeit entering official vaccine circulation is practically non-existent,” Adam Niedzielski, the health minister, announced at a press conference. “The entire logistics chain is built to ensure security [and] that no such counterfeits will appear.”
“All doses distributed as part of the national vaccination programme come from the manufacturer,” tweeted the official account of the government’s vaccine rollout. “In Poland we have not noted any vaccines of the type described in the [Wall Street Journal] article.”
“Until now, no information has been received by the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate (GIF) regarding any false vaccines,” confirmed health ministry spokesman Wojciech Andruszkiewicz. He added that GIF was in contact with Pfizer Polska about the issue.
Andruszkiewicz also suggested that the reported counterfeits could be linked to an investigation broadcast by Polsat in January. “Everything indicates that it is about TV material…[showing] a person trying to use the epidemic to sell strange drugs,” he said, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
The fake coronavirus vaccines were discovered when Polsat’s reporters purchased them online in January. The vials turned out to contain an acid commonly used as an anti-wrinkle treatment.
As a consequence, the 26-year-old man who offered to sell the product was arrested. He later pleaded guilty and explained that he himself bought the bogus vaccines online. Polish authorities confirmed that no one in Poland received the counterfeit jabs.
As part of their investigation, prosecutors in Katowice, where the crime took place, handed over some of the contents of the vials to Pfizer for analysis, reports Polsat.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that counterfeit versions of the vaccine had been identified in both Poland and Mexico. This was later confirmed by Pfizer itself, which advised that “no legitimate vaccine is sold online”.
The pandemic “is a perfect opportunity for criminals”, Lev Kubiak, Pfizer’s world head of security, told the newspaper. “Everybody on the planet needs [the vaccine]. Many are desperate for it. We have a very limited supply.”
As of this morning, Poland had administered around 9.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, including almost 2.5 million second doses. By Thursday, 19.3% of Poles had received at least one jab, slightly below the European Union average of 20.4%.
Main image credit: János Korom/Flickr (under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
