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Michael Yeadon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Yeadon is a British pharmacologist who attracted media attention for making false or unfounded claims about the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.[1] He previously served as the chief scientist and vice-president of the allergy and respiratory research division of the drug company Pfizer,[2] and is the co-founder and former chief executive officer of biotechnology company Ziarco.[1][3][4]

Career

Yeadon received his PhD under Ian Kitchen at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. His thesis was in the respiratory field.[5] Yeadon worked with Salvador Moncada at the Wellcome Research Laboratories, focusing on airway hyper-responsiveness and the effects of pollutants such as Ozone and Nitrogen oxide, as well as working on drug discovery of 5-LO and COX.[6]

He served as the chief scientist and vice-president of Pfizer's allergy and respiratory research unit in Sandwich, Kent,[1][2] where he oversaw the development of drugs for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).[7] During his work at Pfizer, Yeadon was responsible for the selection of targets and the progression of new molecules into human trials. His unit developed inhaled and oral NCEs that showed positive results in clinical trials for asthma, allergic rhinitis and COPD.[8][verification needed]

In 2011, Pfizer closed its Kent research facility, after which Yeadon and three colleagues founded the biotechnology company Ziarco.[1][9][10] Ziarco was sold to Novartis for $325 million in 2017.[1][11]

COVID-19 misinformation

See also: COVID-19 misinformation

Yeadon falsely claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom was "effectively over" in October 2020,[12][13] that there would be no "second wave" of infections,[1][14] and that healthy people could not spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[15][16] He has claimed without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines were unnecessary,[17][14][15] unsafe,[16][18] and could cause infertility in women.[1][16][19] In a letter to the European Medicines Agency, Yeadon and the German physician Wolfgang Wodarg called for all vaccine trials to be stopped, falsely suggesting[20] that mRNA vaccines could target the syncytin-1 protein needed for placenta formation.[21] Several of these claims have been spread widely on social media.[1][12][16] Yeadon has also discouraged COVID-19 lockdowns and use of face masks despite evidence for their effectiveness[18] and alleged that vaccines were part of a deliberate attempt at "mass depopulation", saying recipients would die within two years.[7]

Publications

  • Yeadon, Michael; Diamant, Zuzana (2000). New and exploratory therapeutic agents for asthma. New York: Marcel Dekker. ISBN 0-585-25139-8. OCLC 45730917.

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Stecklow, Steve; Macaskill, Andrew (18 March 2021). "The ex-Pfizer scientist who became an anti-vax hero". Reuters.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pulmatrix Appoints Respiratory and Allergy Expert, Michael Yeadon, PhD, to Scientific Advisory Board". Business Wire (Press release). 7 October 2011.
  3. ^ "UPDATED: Ex-Pfizer crew snags $27M financing for U.K. drugs startup". FierceBiotech. 5 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Ziarco chooses Discovery Park as base for new drug development". Pharma Business International. 10 November 2015.
  5. ^ Yeadon, Michael (August 1988). Receptor mechanisms involved in opioid induced respiratory depression in the rat (doctoral thesis). University of Surrey – via ProQuest.
  6. ^ Hodgson, Simon T.; et al. (1993). "Design and synthesis of achiral 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors employing the cyclobutyl group". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 3 (12): 2565–2570. doi:10.1016/S0960-894X(01)80717-4. ISSN 0960-894X.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Dapcevich, Madison (5 May 2021). "Did Michael Yeadon Say COVID-19 Vaccine Will Kill Recipients Within 2 Years?". Snopes.
  8. ^ Hansel, T. T.; Barnes, P. J. (2010). New Drugs and Targets for Asthma and COPD. Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. ISBN 978-3-8055-9567-4.
  9. ^ Harrison, Charlotte (1 February 2013). "Mike Yeadon". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 12 (2): 96–96. doi:10.1038/nrd3936. ISSN 1474-1784.
  10. ^ "Pfizer helps fund biotech venture from former researchers at closed Kent facility". PMLive. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Novartis Annual Report 2017" (PDF). Basel: Novartis. 2018.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Swenson, Ali (30 November 2020). "Coronavirus pandemic is not 'effectively over' as op-ed claims". Associated Press.
  13. ^ McCarthy, Bill (2 December 2020). "Former Pfizer employee wrong that coronavirus pandemic is 'effectively over' in UK". PolitiFact.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Kasprak, Alex (10 March 2021). "Did Pfizer's Former 'Chief Scientist' Say There Was 'No Need for Vaccines'?". Snopes.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Former Pfizer scientist wrong on asymptomatic COVID-19 spread". AAP FactCheck. Australian Associated Press. 14 May 2021.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Fact Check-Fact check: Ex-Pfizer scientist repeats COVID-19 vaccine misinformation in recorded speech". Reuters Fact Check. Reuters. 20 May 2021.
  17. ^ Lajka, Arijeta (20 April 2021). "Vaccines are needed to end the pandemic, prevent serious illness". Associated Press.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Mike Yeadon wrong again on lockdowns and face masks". Full Fact. 23 April 2021.
  19. ^ Palma, Bethania (4 December 2020). "Did 'Head of Pfizer Research' Say COVID-19 Vaccine 'Is Female Sterilization'?". Snopes.
  20. ^ Rigby, Jennifer (30 June 2021). "How the Covid-19 vaccine fertility myth lapped the globe". The Telegraph. London.
  21. ^ Sajjadi, Nicholas B.; et al. (2021). "United States internet searches for 'infertility' following COVID-19 vaccine misinformation". Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. 121 (6): 583–587. doi:10.1515/jom-2021-0059.

External links

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