Pfizer Inc. — Ethics Grade C-

Pfizer Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of C- (42/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Pharmaceuticals. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 50
• privacy: 60
• consumer: 20
• environment: 55
• humanRights: 30

Documented incidents (3)

• Largest healthcare fraud settlement (high, 2009) — Paid $2.3B—the largest healthcare fraud settlement in history—for illegally promoting drugs for unapproved uses.
• Drug pricing and access inequality (high, 2022) — COVID vaccine pricing surged to $120/dose in US while restricting generic production in developing nations during the pandemic.
• Trovan trial in Nigeria (high, 1996) — Conducted unapproved drug trial on children during meningitis epidemic in Kano, Nigeria. 11 children died and many suffered disabilities.

Documented good deeds

• COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development — Developed breakthrough mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in record time, saving an estimated 20 million lives globally in year one.

Ethical alternatives

• Civica Rx — Non-profit generic drug company making essential medicines affordable and accessible.