Navigating Online Reputation Risks: Pfizer's “Pfizergate” Scandal

Navigating Online Reputation Risks: Pfizer's “Pfizergate” Scandal

While not new, PeakMetrics detected the resurgence of the three-year old “Pfizergate” narrative  — a 2021 scandal involving European Commission President Ursula von Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla over contracts with Pfizer for COVID-19 vaccines—in late March/early April 2024 in the context of European Commission President Ursula von Leyen’s re-election campaign and the transfer of the case to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). Mentions of Pfizergate (or mentions of von Leyen and Pfizer) peaked recently on 31 March  — related to the announcement on the transfer of the investigation. 

Within these mentions, PeakMetrics found indicators that Russian state-backed news outlets were amplifying the Pfizergate scandal. Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies need to be aware of the disinformation element of this scandal in order to best defend against reputational risks related to it. 

Most of the Russian-backed media discussing Pfizergate is published in German — namely Anti-Spiegel and RT Deutsch. This is another story to watch for the narrative jumping across the pond — to a ripe American information environment quick  to latch onto a scandal involving keywords Big Pharma, vaccines, and corruption. English-language mentions don’t account for a very large percentage of mentions, but if that starts going, it may indicate that the Pfizergate scandal is gaining traction with U.S. audiences.