WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2021) Researchers involved with the clinical trials for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine engaged in poor scientific practices that compromised the integrity of the data, The BMJ reported on Tuesday, citing a former employee of the research organization.
The Ventavia Research Group falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators and was slow to follow up on adverse events reported in Pfizer's pivotal phase III trial, former regional director Brook Jackson said according to the report.
Jackson emailed a complaint to the US food and Drug Administration (FDA) following complaints from fellow employees who were overwhelmed by the volume of problems they were finding during the research. She was later fired by Ventavia later that same day, the reports said.
Ventavia, which bills itself as the largest privately owned clinical research company in Texas, reportedly discarded used needles in plastic bags instead of dedicated sharps containers and left materials with trial participants' personal information out in the open, according to photos reportedly given to The BMJ by Jackson.
Jackson said that she received a call from an FDA inspector to discuss the report she emailed them, but heard nothing further from them after that.
