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Investigated content: Post claims that the pharmaceutical company Moderna admitted that vaccines against Covid-19 are contaminated by DNA and, therefore, can cause birth defects and cancer. In a video shared alongside the allegation, American doctor Robert Malone, known for misinforming about vaccines, says the same, adding that contamination could cause any disease that is associated with DNA damage.
Where was it published:X.
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Conclusion of Comprova: Viral post deceives by stating that the pharmaceutical company Moderna has admitted that its vaccine against Covid-19 could lead the immunized person to develop cancer due to DNA residues in the product. In fact, there is residual DNA in mRNA vaccines, such as Moderna’s, but this does not interfere with safety.
“Our vaccine against Covid-19 was subjected to extensive clinical and non-clinical tests to demonstrate its efficacy, quality and safety,” the pharmaceutical company told Comprova. The company explained that “residual DNA is an impurity related to the manufacturing process” that does not affect the final product. It also said that its processes follow standards established extensively and reviewed by regulatory bodies.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a North American health surveillance body, has a similar conclusion. In a 2023 document on residual DNA in mRNA vaccines, the agency states that “there is nothing to indicate damage to the genome, such as increased cancer rates” and guarantees the safety and effectiveness of all immunizations approved in the United States (the Moderna is one of them).
In Brazil, two vaccines against Covid produced by the pharmaceutical company are registered by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Spikevax bivalent and Spikevax monovalent. The last one had registration granted in March and is updated to protect against the Kraken variant. This week, the first doses of the vaccine arrived in Brazil as part of a contract signed last month for the acquisition of 12.5 million doses.
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The post uses an excerpt from a speech by doctor Robert Malone, known for misinforming about vaccines. The same video was used in another misleading publication verified by Comprova this week, also attacking, without evidence, the Moderna vaccine.
Comprova tried to speak to the author of the content, but the profile on X does not receive messages. No similar profiles were identified on other social networks.
Misleading, for Comprova, is content taken from the original context and used in another in such a way that its meaning changes; that uses inaccurate data or that leads to an interpretation different from the intention of its author; content that confuses, with or without the deliberate intent to cause harm.
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Publication reach: Comprova investigates suspicious content with the greatest reach on social media. The post checked here had 97.9 thousand views until May 6, in addition to being shared a thousand times and gaining two thousand likes.
Sources we consulted: We looked for the pharmaceutical company mentioned in the post and consulted the FDA and information about the hearing in which the doctor’s speech was recorded. We also located other checks on the subject and tried to contact the author of the post.
Why Comprova investigated this publication: Comprova monitors suspicious content published on social networks and messaging applications about public policies, health, climate change and elections at the federal level and opens investigations into those publications that have greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984.
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Other checks on the topic: The allegation verified here was also the subject of checks outside Brazil and denied by USA Today and Lead Stories. Comprova has previously verified that it is false that the vaccine against Covid-19 causes irreversible damage to DNA and demonstrated that the vaccines do not cause cancer.
