Counterfeit Vaccines Sold in Mexico and Poland

The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer has confirmed at least two cases of counterfeit versions of its coronavirus vaccine being sold in Mexico and Poland. According to The Wall Street Journal, the counterfeit doses were identified in Mexico only after they had been administered to 80 patients.

The syringes drew attention as they were stored in unusually bright colored refrigerators and had different serial numbers compared to those officially sold to the government, as well as different expiry dates. Pfizer's inspections confirmed that these products were fake.

This fraud did not come as a surprise to Pfizer's global security chief, Lev Kubiak. “We have very limited supply, and that will increase as we scale up vaccine production and other companies enter the vaccine market. Until then, criminals have a great opportunity,” he stated.

At the end of January, a 26-year-old man was arrested in Katowice for faking the vaccine, as reported by Polish television channel Polsat. This individual was selling fake negative PCR test certificates and vials that he claimed contained the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine.

Polsat purchased several doses, and the Katowice prosecutor's office sent them for analysis to the manufacturer, who confirmed that the substance was counterfeit; it turned out to be an anti-wrinkle agent. No one was injected with the doses, according to DW.