‘Irrational and unlawful’: Physicians petition South Africa to pull Pfizer vaccine

A group of physicians and medical scientists last week filed a petition with South Africa’s High Court of Pretoria to revoke authorization for Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) in March 2021 authorized distribution of the Pfizer vaccine, which was marketed in the country as Comirnaty. Though SAPHRA acknowledges that the vaccine causes adverse events like myocarditis and pericarditis, it maintains that “the benefit-risk profile of this vaccine remains favourable and safe to be administered as per the roll-out schedule.”

As of February, excess deaths in South Africa reached 472 per 100,000, ranking it among the 30 worst countries. These are attributed to the lack of vaccines, rather than because of them, so that the World Health Organization is even investing in an “mRNA hub” in South Africa.

Now the Freedom Alliance of South Africa (FASA) is demanding the government pull the “irrational and unlawful” authorization for the Pfizer vaccine.

“Global data is showing alarming signals and correlations between the administration of Pfizer’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine products and an unprecedented rise in serious adverse reactions in patients, including disability, foetal abnormalities, aggressive cancers and death,” FASA said in a statement.

The group’s attorneys argue that SAPHRA’s decision to authorize the shots was based on “flawed and inaccurate trial data presented by a heavily conflicted Pfizer” and should be subject to judicial scrutiny. SAPHRA, in fact, relied solely on Pfizer’s own data and did not subject the vaccine to any independent reviews and trials.

Dr. Herman Edeling, a neurosurgeon and member of FASA, says that Pfizer deliberately misled regulators.

“The applicants sent out clear evidence showing that Pfizer’s vaccine trial for Comirnaty appears to have been a whitewash, mired by what appears to be substantial data manipulation, data inaccuracies, and inaccurate statements of outcomes,” said Dr. Edeling.

The application for judicial review of SAPHRA’s authorization of the vaccine cites data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) — which are typically underreported by a factor of 20 — and Pfizer’s own trial data, along with 11 case studies from South African patients who suffered serious and sometimes fatal adverse events after the vaccine.

Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist who received both Pfizer doses and heavily promoted the shots until his father's sudden death, says he has scrutinized the data and “the evidence is unequivocal”.

“For the overwhelming majority of people, the Pfizer COVID mRNA vaccine is significantly more harmful than beneficial and likely should never have been approved to be administered to a single human being,” said Malhotra.

“It is alarming to me that the local regulators are encouraging the vaccination of young children in the circumstances. The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine products should, in my opinion, be halted pending a full investigation into how we got this so very wrong. That is, without question, the responsible and ethical move,” he said.

The petition for judicial review of the Pfizer vaccine’s authorization is the first of its kind.