History of how the former Pfizer turned into a “

Late last year, the British scientist and others began a petition for the European drug regulator. The request was bold: “Stop clinical trials of the vaccine against COVID-19. ”

Their argument was even more courageous. By “Reuters” they speculated, without providing evidence, that vaccines could cause infertility in women.

The document appeared on a German website on December 1st. But other scientists rejected their theory. The regulators also did not waver after weeks later, the European Barnas Agency approved the first vaccine in the European Union against COVID-19, company “Pfixer” and “BionTech”. But the damage had already been done.

Social media quickly spread exaggerated claims that vaccines against COVID-19 causes infertility in women. Within weeks, doctors and nurses in Britain began reporting that concerned women were wondering if this was true, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In January, a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non-profit organisation, found that 13% of people unexplored in the United States had heard that “waxes against COVID-19 has shown that they cause infertility”.

What gave credibility to the claim was that one of the petition co-authors, Michael Yeadon, was not any scientist. The 60-year-old is one of the former svs. The presidents of “Pfizer”, where he spent 16 years as an allergic researcher and respiratory problems. He later co-founded a biotechnic firm that Swiss drug producer “Novartis” would buy for at least $325m.

In recent months, Yeadon has appeared to be a hero of people who oppose vaccines, whose worshipers question the safety of many vaccines, including the one against the Coronavirus. Yeadon's sceptical views about vaccines and anti-tests have been amplified COVIDD-19, blockages imposed by governments and pandemic curves.

Yeadon has said he does not personally object to the use of all vaccines. But many health experts and government officials worry that his reluctant thoughts about the vaccine, along with the reluctance or refusal of citizens to vaccinate ʹ can prolong the pandemic. COVID-19 has already killed more than 2.6 million people worldwide.

These claims are false, dangerous and deeply irresponsible. ”A spokesman for Britain's Department of Health and Social Care said when asked about Yeadon's views.

“COVIED-19 is the best way to protect people from coronary and save thousands of lives. ”

Recent reports of blood clotting and abnormal bleeding in a small number of vaccine recipients AstraZeneca's COVID-19 have cast doubt on the safety of this vaccine, causing some European countries to interrupt its use. Developments are likely to further fuel the hesitation of vaccines, though there is no evidence of a cause-pass relationship between the AstraZeneca product and symptoms of vaccinated patients.

The scientist Yeadon did not answer the requests for comment on this article. In reporting this story, Reuters reviewed thousands of his posts over the past two years, along with scriptures and other statements. Reuters journalists also interviewed five people who recognise him, four of whom are former colleagues in “Pfixer”.

A spokesman for “Pfixer” refused to comment on Yeadon and his attitude towards the company.

Yeadon petition references appear on the website of a group founded by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr, from one of the American political dynasties, which was recently banned in Instagram due to his posts on anti-manicans COVID-19.

Writer and vaccine skeptic Michelle Malkin reported Yeadon's concern over fertility in a column last month with the title: “Gra pregnant: Beware of Anti - Inocation vaccines COVID”. She also made a blog with an alarming title: “Pfizer Research Chief: The vaccine against Covid brings infertility to women”A letter that was distributed thousands of times on Facebook.

Yeadon's views can be seen in social media in different languages - German, Portuguese, Czech, etc.

A November Facebook post carries a video in which Yeadon confirmed that pandemic “restly ... has finished”. Posting has been seen more than a million times.

In October, Yeadon had written a column for the British picture “Daly Mail”, one of the world's most visited news pages. He declares in this writing that the deaths caused by COVID-19, which in Britain had reached about 45 thousand, will soon be “Fall” and British “should be allowed immediately to resume normal”. Since then, the disease has killed about 80 thousand other people in the United Kingdom.

Yeadon is not the only respected scientist who has challenged the scientific consensus for COVID-19 and has expressed controversial views.

Michael Levit, a winner of the “Nobel Prize” in chemistry, said last summer that he expected the pandemic to end in the United States in 2020 and kill no more than 175 thousand Americans a third of its current total. He said: When we look back, we'll say it wasn't such a terrible disease. ”

And Luc Montagnier, another winner of the “Nobel Prize”, said last year he believed that the choreography was created in a Chinese laboratory. Many experts doubt it, but so far there is no way to prove it or reject it.

Levis told “Reuters” that his predictions about pandemic in the United States were wrong, but he still believes COVID-19 will not be viewed as “a terrible disease” and that block “caused a large collateral damage and may not have been necessary. ” Montagnier on the other hand did not respond to the request to make a comment.

What gives Yeadon particular credibility is the fact that he worked for the company “Pfiser”, says Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Centre for Combating Digital Hatred, an organisation that fights internet disinformations. “Yeadon's background gives his dangerous and harmful messages false credibility. ”He expresses himself.

In a debate last fall in the British Parliament's Low Chamber over the government's response to pandemic, parliamentary Richard Drax called Yeadon a scientist Top “” and quoted his view “se the virus is controlled and approaching end” Drax did not respond to a “request for comment.

Recently David Kurten, a member of the London Assembly, wrote in “Twitter” that there is one Real risk “” that COVIDD-19 vaccines may leave women infertile. He wrote that “cure” should not be worse than “Disease“. Neither did he respond to the request for comment.

Why Yeadon was converted from ordinary scientist into skeptical vaccine against COVID-19 remains a mystery. Thousands of his posts over these months offer some data to explain his radical stance.

Some former Pfizer colleagues say they no longer know “Maiku they once knew”. They described him as a wise and intelligent man who always insisted on seeing the evidence and generally avoided publicity.

One of those former colleagues is Stergios A. Moschos, who has a degree in molecular and pharmaceutical biology. In December, Yeadon made a post urging people to abandon masks. Moschos reacted to Twitter: “What the fuck, Mike? Have you come out to kill people actively? You realize that if you make a mistake, your suggestions will result in death?.

“All will pass”

Yeadon opened an account for the first time in “Titter” in October 2018 and soon became an active user of the platform. Thousands of his posts revised by “Reuters” were provided by archive.org, which preserves websites with their tracking analysis.

When the coronary pandemic arrived in the United Kingdom in March 2020, Yeadon first expressed support for the development of a vaccine. He wrote on Twitter: Subtitles: Until we have an immunity of the flock or vaccine, all we can do is slow down its spread “. A week later he tweeted: A vaccine could be ready by the end of 2021 if we're really lucky. ”

When another user of “Twitter” said vaccines hurt people, Yeadon replied: All right, please reject it, but don't stop those who want to get it, thank you. ”

But since April, Yeadon has begun to express other views.

While Britain was still in the first deadlock last spring, the scientist declared: There's nothing especially virulent and scary about the video 19... will pass... Only a common virus to which the world reacted too much. ”

And he predicted in a later post that it was “Hard” for the number of dead in the United Kingdom to reach 400,000.

By September 2020, Yeadon's statements were drawing attention beyond Twitter. At the time, one movement had shown itself in Britain against jams and other restrictions aimed at curbing the disease. He was co-author of a long article on a website called “Lockdown Sceptics”. He declared that “There is no biological principle leading to a second wave of”. Britain soon entered a second wave of much more deadly.

On October 16th, he wrote another long article on the same website: There is absolutely no need for vaccines to extinguish pandemic. I've never heard such nonsense talk about vaccines. You don't vaccinate people who are not endangered by disease. ”

In November, Yeadon appeared in a 32-minute video for the anti-Cranine group, with the script “Pandemia is dead of<x0.

Yeadon called for an end to mass testing and claimed 30% of the population was already immune to COVID-19 since before the pandemic began. At the time of the census, he said there was little chance of the virus spreading further into the United Kingdom because most people had already been infected or were immune.

These views conflict with the findings of the World Health Organization. In December, nine months after declaring the outbreak of pandemic, the agency said the test suggested less than 10% of the world's population had shown evidence of infection.

Yeadon's petition to the European Barnat Agency to prevent vaccine tests followed on December 1st. The agency did not respond to requests for comments on this article.

It is impossible to measure the impact of Yeadon's claim that vaccines against COVID-19 can cause infertility in women. In any case, anecdotally, many women have believed it.

Bonnie Jacobson, a waitress in Brooklyn, New York, said she can't remember where she first heard about fertility. But she told Serbia “Reuters” she was reluctant to take the vaccine, as she would like to have children “sometimes or late”.

This is my main concern. ”She said. Allow more research to appear. ” After recently refusing to be vaccinated, she said that the ceiling where she worked and laid off. Jacobson's employer did not respond to the demand for comment.

“A good scientist” but “not the one I've known before”

According to Yeadon's account in Linkedin, he joined Pfizer in 1995; the company then had a major operation in southern England. He was promoted to become vice president and head of research on allergies and breathing.

Many former colleagues say they are surprised by his transformation.

Mark Treherne, recalls his time with Yeado in Pfizer for about two years: He always seemed familiar, understanding, a good scientist. We were both trained as pharmacologists... so we had something in common”. Sometimes he drank coffee with her.

I certainly don't agree with Mike and his latest views. ”- He said. The Treherne company is studying brain inflammation, which, according to him, may be caused by coronarys. He doesn't sound like the guy I met 20 years ago. ”

Another former colleague said he considered it a mentor at the time they worked together from 2008 to 2011. Recently, Moschos has been studying whether it is possible to test for COVID-19 with respiratory samples. He said Yeadon's views are “A major disappointment”. He confessed that he heard Yeado in a radio interview last year.

There was a tone in his voice that didn't look like the one I ever remember Mike. ”He said Moschos. “was very angry, very bitter”

John LaMattina, a former Pfizer president, also knew Yeadon. His subx0> group was very successful and revealed a number of components that entered early clinical development. ”He told LaMattina Reuters on an email. LaMattina said he had lost contact with Yeado in recent years. This is all news to me and it's a little bit shocking. This looks completely out of character for the person I met. ”- He adds.

The post of Michael Yeadon in May 2020, where it indicated that Sédo had a second wave of COVID-19

After losing his job in Pfizer in 2011, Yeadon established a biotechnic company called Ziarco with three former Pfizer colleagues. They wanted to continue researching promising therapies for allergies and inflammatory diseases, ideas Pfizer was developing but threatened to be abandoned. Yeadon served as Ziarco's chief executive.

In 2012, Ziarco announced that he had initially provided funds from several investors, including Pfizer's share of capital entrepreneurship. Later other investors joined.

The intensity of the effort almost completely drove me away from my family and other interests for almost five years and we have only one life. ”He said Yeadon for Forbes.

Yeadon said he's married and has two adult girls and describes having had a difficult childhood. He said his mother committed suicide when he was 18 months old, and his father, a doctor, abandoned him when he was 16. He said he was rescued by a local social worker and adopted by a Jewish family. “He said.

While working for the company Ziarco that cofounded, Yeadon also worked as consultant for several years at two biotechnical companies in the Boston area, Apellis Pharmacotics and Pulmatix Inc. Both firms said he no longer advises them. A spokeswoman for Apellis said: His “Pictures do not reflect those of Apellis. ” She did not elaborate.

After losing his job in Pfizer in 2011, Yeadon established a biotechnic company called Ziarco. Later, he sold it to Swiss drug manufacturer Novatitis

The hard work in Ziarco produced results. In January 2017, Novattis bought the company for a $325 million advance payment, with the promise of $95 million more if certain points were met. Novattis was betting on a drug known as ZPL389, which had the potential to be one <x0). First-class oral treatment for average eczema to heavier”

Reuters writes he was unable to determine how much money Yeadon made from Ziarco's purchase of Novattis. But in January 2020, he wrote on Twitter:Strangely, I made millions of the foundation and growth of a biotechnology company, creating a lot of paid jobs, using my doctorate and obedience worldwide. ”

Last July, Novatitis found he had stopped the ZPL389 clinical development programme and received $485m. A Novatitis spokesman said the company decided to complete the programme after disappointing efficiency data during early stage clinical testing.

“

At the beginning of this year, a group of former Yeadon colleagues from Pfizer expressed their concern in a private letter.

“We've become very aware of your views on COVID-19 over the last few months... the single mind, lack of scientific evidence and the unilateral interpretation of often weak quality data is far from Mike Yeadon that we so highly respected and with whom we've enjoyed working with the”. Noting how followed he is on social networks and how widespread his idea of causing infertility to women, the group wrote: We are very concerned that you are endangering people's health. ”

Reuters couldn't determine if Yeadon got the letter.

On February 3rd, the Yeadon account at “Titter” published a message for its 91 thousand followers: A post recently appeared under my ID, which was terribly insulting. As a result, my account is locked. I naturally erased it. I want you to know of course I didn't write it. ”

Yeadon did not make clear what post he was talking about. But shortly after, some Twitter users posted images of offensive posts against Muslims from the Yeadon account about a year ago.

The next day, February 4, Yeadon mentioned in a post:I'll be gone by “

Two days later, his Twitter account was closed. His account at LinkedIn also soon changed, declaring now that he is Retired “”

Clara Craig, a British pathologist, compared the way Yeado was treated on Twitter with medieval societies that burned heretics in the fire.

There's no other way to look at this than like witch burning. ”) said Craig, who has also criticised deadlocks and tests against COVID-19. “Science is a series of questions and tests that are asked to them and when we are not allowed to ask those questions, then science loses. ”

She said he spoke to Yeado after he closed his account on Twitter and added that he is thinking how he will contribute in the future.