In an interview with The Defender, molecular biologist Becky McClain discusses her new book, “Exposed: A Pfi### Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower.” The book exposes dangerous safety lapses and corporate coverups in Pfi###’s biosafety labs, and McClain’s decade-long fight for medical records and legal justice after she was infected with a genetically modified lentivirus.
Molecular biologist Becky McClain began raising safety concerns in 2000, soon after she started working in Pfi###’s Biosafety Level 2 lab in Connecticut.
Three years later, after management failed to address the issues, McClain was exposed to a genetically modified lentivirus, engineered using gain-of-function technologies that made the virus more infectious and more pathogenic.
The exposure left her disabled, with symptoms including numbness, periodic paralysis, pain and other neurological problems. Doctors couldn’t diagnose or effectively treat her condition because Pfi### refused to disclose what she had been exposed to, citing “trade secrets.”
The incident launched McClain into a decade-long fight to understand her illness and obtain her exposure records so she could seek proper treatment. During her battle, she became a whistleblower, standing up to Pfi###’s threats against her and her family.
In her new book from Skyhorse Publishing, “Exposed: A Pfi# Scientist Battles Corruption, Lies, and Betrayal, and Becomes a Biohazard Whistleblower,” McClain recounts how she raised workplace safety concerns, suffered exposure to a dangerous virus, fought Pfizer for years in court, and resisted the company’s repeated attempts to silence her — ultimately winning a legal victory.
McClain refused to sign a gag order — even after Pfi### fired her, harassed her and threatened her — making her one of the few people who can share her story publicly.
In her book, McClain exposes corruption she says runs not just through Pfi###, but across the pharmaceutical industry and the agencies meant to hold it accountable — from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the federal courts.
[Via: Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. / vigilantfox.com / childrenshealthdefense.org]