The pharmaceutical watchdog is being urged to investigate after celebrity doctors discussed the Covid vaccine on primetime TV without disclosing payments of thousands of pounds from AstraZeneca. The Telegraph has more.
In April of this year, AstraZeneca admitted for the first time in court documents that its Covid vaccine can, in a small percentage of cases, cause a rare and dangerous side effect. The following month, it emerged that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide.
The revelations prompted a fresh round of debate about the vaccine, with celebrity doctors invited on to television shows to discuss the fallout.
Dr. Ranj Singh, who regularly appears on the BBC as a talking head, was paid £22,500 by AstraZeneca in 2021, according to records from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
Last month, he led a discussion on the BBC breakfast show Morning Live about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the “serious but rare” complications associated with it. He failed to declare his payments from the pharmaceutical giant to either the BBC or to viewers.
A BBC spokesman said they were unaware of the payments ahead of the show, adding: “The segment on the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was balanced and covered reported risks and benefits. We became aware of Dr. Ranj’s 2021 work for the manufacturer after this segment aired and have now addressed this within the show.”
Dr. Nighat Arif, who became a familiar face on television during the pandemic including on BBC Breakfast, was paid £10,000 by Astra-Zeneca in 2022.
Hellbound and Down 