Moderna Faces Suspension in U.K. Over Allegations of Bribing Children to Join mRNA COVID-19 Shot Trials

U.S. vaccine manufacturer Moderna is under investigation in the United Kingdom over claims it offered children financial incentives to participate in clinical trials of the mRNA COVID-19 biological, which is an alleged breach of British pharmaceutical regulations that could result in the company’s suspension from the country’s industry trade body.¹

According to reports, children were offered up to £1,500 (approximately $2,000) to join the trials—an incentive banned under the United Kingdom’s Medicines for Human Use regulations, which prohibit payments to minors or their parents for clinical trial participation.¹

Regulatory Body Finds Multiple Breaches from Moderna

The U.K.’s Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), the self-regulatory arm of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), has found that Moderna violated key provisions of the ABPI Code. These include “bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry” and “failing to maintain high standards,” according to an interim case report.^{1 2}

If formally found guilty, Moderna could be suspended or expelled from the ABPI—effectively stripping the company of its ability to market or sell products in the U.K.¹

Beyond financial inducements, Moderna reportedly distributed teddy bears to children and misled regulators about when it first became aware of the incentives. While the company claimed it acted immediately upon learning of the payments in January 2024, internal documents indicate senior executives were informed as early as August 2023 and failed to take prompt action.

The PMCPA condemned the company’s behavior as demonstrating a “completely unacceptable” lack of transparency and a serious blow to the industry’s credibility.^{1 3}

Undisclosed Promotions from Moderna Employee Spark Further Criticism

Further compounding the controversy, a senior Moderna employee was found to have co-authored three articles promoting Moderna’s products without disclosing his affiliation with the company. One article was co-written with former U.K. vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi. The same employee also promoted Moderna’s products on social media without transparency about his role at the firm.¹

Molly Kingsley, founder of the non-profit campaign group UsForThem, stated:

Many of the previous judgments against Moderna have revealed how readily it put profit ahead of the health and safety of children. Now it has also laid bare just how little regard it has had for the regulatory system that was supposed to keep it honest. Never before has a company so new to the pharmaceutical industry been rebuked in this way.³

Moderna, which joined the ABPI in 2023, is now subject to a full audit by the PMCPA to assess whether its “culture, governance, and compliance framework” are functioning effectively. Additional sanctions may follow based on the audit’s findings.

Moderna has already faced multiple PMCPA rulings in the past year, including fines for promoting its Spikevax COVID shot using off-label data—violations critics say are barely a deterrent for a company that earned nearly £7 billion in 2023.³

Mounting Concerns Over Industry Trust

Esther McVey, former member of the parliamentary group on COVID-19 vaccine damage, noted that the PMCPA has ruled against Moderna in six separate cases in recent months.

“Ordering an audit of Moderna’s internal practices is highly unusual and reputationally damaging, but it is incredible that the regulator has no real power to impose appropriate fines or other meaningful penalties which might make pharmaceutical companies think twice before breaking the rules,” McVey continued.³

“They know they can get away with it, and so they do; time and time again. It’s hardly surprising that public trust in the pharmaceutical industry and its regulators is through the floor.”³

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