Pfizer ‘Chose Not To’ Tell Regulators About SV40 Sequence in COVID Shots: Health Canada Official

Pfizer ‘Chose Not To’ Tell Regulators About SV40 Sequence in COVID Shots: Health Canada Official
Health Canada headquarters in Ottawa in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Noé Chartier
Matthew Horwood
Updated:
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A senior Health Canada official says pharma giant Pfizer made a conscious decision not to advise regulators that its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine contained a DNA sequence from the Simian Virus 40 (SV40).

This information appears among multiple emails between staff from key drug regulators, including Health Canada (HC), the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The information was obtained through an access-to-information request.