Pfizer identifies fake Covid-19 shots abroad as criminals abusing vaccine demand

About 80 people at a clinic in Mexico received a sham vaccine for about $ 1,000 per dose, although they do not appear to have sustained any physical harm. The bottles, found in beach-style beer coolers, had different lot numbers from those sent to the state, and an incorrect expiration date, said Dr. Manuel de la O, the health secretary of the state of Nuevo León.

Polish authorities said no one there had received the fake vaccine, which had been seized in a man’s apartment.

The findings are the latest in an effort between law enforcement and drug makers such as Pfizer, Moderna Inc.

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and Johnson & Johnson to stop criminal activity related to the Covid-19 vaccines. The global rollout of shots has given criminals another opportunity to take advantage of unsuspecting people.

“Everyone on the planet needs it. Many are desperate, ”said Lev Kubiak, Pfizer’s global head of security. “We have a very limited offering, one that will increase as we grow and as other companies move into the vaccine space. In the meantime, there is a perfect opportunity for criminals. “

According to government officials and data, the US, Mexico and other countries have seized and removed dozens of websites that fraudulently claim to sell shots or have links with vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna and Pfizer. The bogus websites that resemble the company appeared to be looking for consumers’ personal information to be used in identity fraud, government officials and officials say.

Police in China and South Africa seized thousands of doses of counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines in warehouses and factories last month and arrested dozens of people, Interpol international police station said. Mexico is also investigating a shipment of about 6,000 doses of alleged Sputnik vaccine from Russia seized from a private plane bound for Honduras. Authorities have not determined whether the vaccines are real.

For months, agents from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, an investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, have been investigating fraud related to the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, involving $ 48 million worth of fake masks, personal protective equipment and other products. . Last fall, researchers shifted their focus to Covid-19 vaccines nearing potential regulatory approval, starting with online scams. According to IPR officials, they have removed 30 websites and seized 74 web domains.

According to DHS, no counterfeit vaccines have been discovered in the US so far. But the limited supply of Covid-19 injections and their high demand may prompt people to seek vaccinations outside of official channels, especially in countries like Mexico and Brazil, where Covid-19 cases are high and there is a history of counterfeiting of prescription drugs, industry and security experts said.

“Whenever you see this gap between supply and demand in certain areas, there are people who are willing to fill that gap with counterfeits,” said Tony Pelli, a consultant at BSI Group who focuses on drug security. “For new drugs, it is usually only a matter of time before you see people trying to fake them.”

Counterfeiting prescription drugs has become more lucrative over the past decade, industry and safety officials say. The market for counterfeit prescription drugs is estimated at more than $ 200 billion a year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Spreading fake Covid-19 vaccines is also easier than stealing and selling legitimate shots because of the extreme security measures taken by countries and drug manufacturers during the pandemic, Mr. Pelli. “With counterfeits, you can just show up and say, ‘Here are Covid vaccines, we have some, don’t ask how,’ and start distributing them,” said Mr Pelli.

Major drug companies like Pfizer employ security teams made up of former law enforcement officers who help train government agencies and assist with investigations related to counterfeit prescription drugs. Pfizer has worked with law enforcement officials in recent years to find sellers of fake doses of Viagra for erectile dysfunction and anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

One tactic used by IPR Center agents is to search the bright and dark web of keywords related to vaccines supplied by their manufacturers.

“We have never seen so much fraud and misinformation and schemes,” said Steve Francis, director of the IPR Center, which has opened more than 35 cases related to Covid-19 vaccine scams.

Mr. Francis and Pfizer’s agents met weekly last fall to prepare for fraud and counterfeiting. During one presentation, company officials said they were not initially releasing images of the vial’s authentic labels, in part to stay ahead of criminals.

Pfizer is also working with local law enforcement officials on cases of counterfeit vaccines, such as those recently discovered in Mexico and Poland.

In January, according to Pfizer and Polish authorities, Polish police seized a number of vials filled with a liquid and labeled as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from a man’s apartment. According to the Polish prosecutors leading the investigation, no one is believed to have received a fake shot. Polish police have arrested the man charged with fraud, Polish authorities said.

Pfizer suspected the vaccines were fake because they weren’t in the vials the company uses for its Covid-19 injection, said Mr. Kubiak. They were identical to the containers police found in the man’s apartment with a label for another company’s anti-wrinkle treatment.

Pfizer tested the liquid in the vials that were supposedly its Covid-19 vaccine in its lab in Groton, Conn., And found it contained no key ingredients and instead contained hyaluronic acid, which is used in skin products.

In early February, Mexican police raided a clinic in the northern state of Nuevo León, where alleged fake vaccines were being administered to people. Mexican police detained six people.

“People were injected with distilled water,” said Dr. De la O in a telephone interview. A spokesman for the Attorney General of Mexico’s office, which is conducting the investigation, declined to comment.

Pfizer, who is working with DHS officials to support Mexican authorities in the case, confirmed the vaccine was fake after using special light and microscopic examination to discover that the adhesive label on the vial was not authentic. Mr. Kubiak declined to provide additional details, but said Pfizer might conduct more tests on the fluid.

Mr Kubiak said he expects counterfeiting to deteriorate as the rollout progresses. “Right now, consumers are easily fooled,” he said. “They are desperate for the vaccine.”

Write to Jared S. Hopkins at [email protected] and José de Córdoba at [email protected]