Moderna Fined in UK for ‘Luring Children into COVID-19 Vaccine Trials’ With Teddy Bears

The complaint brought against Moderna centers around four advertisements posted by the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the social media platform X (Twitter) in 2023. Targeting children aged 12 and over for participation in the U.S.-based biotech company’s updated mRNA vaccine trials, the ads promised volunteers a certificate and a teddy bear, which critics argued was an unethical incentive for a medical trial. The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, Britain’s pharmaceutical watchdog, ruled that Moderna had discredited the pharmaceutical industry and failed to uphold high standards.

Critics, including campaigners and politicians, have pointed out that children were at minimal risk from COVID-19 at the time, thus making the ethics of such trials even more questionable. The UK’s Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations prohibit offering incentives or financial inducements to children or their parents, as well as direct pharmaceutical advertising to minors. Moderna had already previously been fined for offering children £1,500 ($1,890) to test another vaccine in the same trial.

Irrespective of the ruling, critics point out that the small fine is insignificant compared to the size of Moderna’s profits and are calling for harsher treatment. The case marks the fourth regulatory breach by the U.S. company over the past few months, leading to growing concerns about its persistently unethical behavior.

To read how Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be more likely to cause serious adverse events than prevent hospitalization, see this article on our website.