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When it comes to vaccines - why are people talking about 'Financial interests' ?

Information from companies about vaccines is motivated by financial interests

One of the strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy is people’s general mistrust of authorities and those perceived as working for them.

The distrust is often expressed in claims about vested interests, or it reveals itself as a lack of knowledge about vaccinations.

It can be directed towards different targets, for example:

  • Health and medical professionals and organisations.
  • Pharmaceutical companies.
  • Governments.
  • Scientists.
  • The ‘medical establishment’.

It can also be directed towards the scientific process and to vaccines themselves.

Although distrust is related to conspiracist beliefs, arguments framed within this attitude root are distinct in that the reasons for distrust may be due to a person’s lived experience (e.g., having experienced discrimination in the healthcare system). Arguments stemming from distrust also need not relate to conspiracies. Instead, distrust often manifests as vague statements, full of suspicion and uncertainty, with conclusions drawn based on the source of the message.

This theme claims that pharmaceutical companies cannot be trusted to put people’s safety over their profits. Overall, there is distrust of any perceived financial motivation related to vaccines.

Is there any truth in it?

Distrust towards authorities is sometimes justified. Some people, for example, may be concerned about vaccines because the pharmaceutical industry does profit from them. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer for example had made £27 billion from its Covid vaccine as of February 2022. Private companies in all industries have an interest in earning money with their products. Critically questioning the motives of industries is important.

What could I say to someone fixed on this belief?

Dialogue between patients and healthcare professionals is most productive if it is guided by empathy, and an opportunity for the patient to affirm the reasons underlying their attitudes and to express understanding for that. That’s why it is important to understand the attitude roots behind people’s overt opinions. To affirm a person’s underlying attitude root does not mean we need to agree with the specifics of their argument. For example, we can acknowledge that:

Distrust towards authorities is sometimes justified. Some people, for example, may be concerned about vaccines because the pharmaceutical industry does profit from them. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer for example had made £27 billion from its Covid vaccine as of February 2022. Private companies in all industries have an interest in earning money with their products. Critically questioning the motives of industries is important.



Having set the stage through this (partial) affirmation, we can then proceed to correct the patient’s particular misconception.

Profits aren’t limited to pharmaceutical companies. There is also a strong financial motive among those who encourage others not to get vaccinated as they profit from getting people to buy their alternative products.

There are no independent regulators for alternative products, unlike for vaccines, where independent scientists and non-governmental organisations all over the world evaluate their safety and effectiveness and are not under any company’s direction. In fact, they are required to publicly declare any conflict of interest, including financial payments received.

The information these independent experts provide serve as the best available guidance on vaccines.

Where can I find out more?

Additional information: 

Academic references:

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MISINFORMATION & DISTRUST

One of the strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy is people’s general mistrust of authorities, pharmaceutical companies, scientists, the medical “establishment”, and scientific research methods and findings. The distrust is often expressed in claims about vested interests or a lack of knowledge about vaccinations. It can be directed towards different targets, for example, health and medical authorities or professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the government, and the scientific process and vaccines themselves.

 

Although distrust is related to conspiracist ideation, arguments framed within this attitude root are distinct in that the reasons for distrust may be due to a person’s lived experience (e.g., having experienced discrimination in the healthcare system). Arguments stemming from distrust also need not relate to conspiracies. Instead, distrust often manifests as vague statements, full of suspicion and uncertainty, with conclusions drawn based on the source of the message.