Moderna has come under fire after it was discovered that the pharmaceutical company offered children cash to test a COVID-19 booster vaccine, The Telegraph reported.
The company has been ordered to pay £14,000 after it was revealed that a representative used WhatsApp to offer children £1,500 to take part in booster vaccine trials.
The UK Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) called the offer an “inappropriate financial inducement” and found Moderna had brought “discredit upon the pharmaceutical industry.”
According to the United Kingdom’s Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations, incentives or financial inducements given to children or their parents are prohibited.
A research ethics committee had previously warned Moderna that the financial offer was “much higher than would be considered a reasonable reimbursement.” While Moderna changed the offer to £185, one trial center continued offering the original amount.
“The panel noted that the financial incentive offered within the unapproved WhatsApp message was never paid but considered that it might have encouraged participants to apply to take part,” the PMCPA ruled. “The panel considered that the unique circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the particular circumstances of this trial, which involved the recruitment of children, meant that Moderna should have been especially cautious.”
“On balance, the panel considered that this brought discredit upon and reduced confidence in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Moderna must now provide a written statement that it will end the practice.
Some believe the £14,000 fine is not enough to be effective.
Member of Parliament Esther McVey said, “A charge of £14,000 to a company that enjoyed a total revenue of $6.8 billion in 2023 is hardly likely to make them think twice before breaking the rules again.”
