A post shared on Facebook claims U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer requested to have its public shares delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). 

Verdict: False 

There is no evidence suggesting Pfizer has delisted its shares. A spokesperson for Pfizer confirmed that the company is delisting notes, not shares. 

Fact Check: 

Pfizer is one of three pharmaceutical companies that has developed a Food and Drug Administration-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. Now, a post shared on Facebook claims the company is pulling its shares from the NYSE.

The post includes a screenshot of a March 7 document that appears to show Pfizer applying to have its “0.250% Notes due 2022” delisted from the NYSE. “Why have (sic) Pfizer just applied to the New York Stock Exchange to delist all their shares??” the post’s caption reads. “Could it be linked to the court order to release all safety data, that’s clearly showing myriad adverse events 30x the rate of the traditional flu vaccine?”

The document does not show or suggest that all of Pfizer’s shares are being delisted. Pfizer’s stock does not appear on the NASDAQ’s suspended or delisting webpage. Likewise, no such announcement about the delisting of the company’s shares appears on Pfizer’s press release archives. The company’s shares remain listed on the NYSE for purchase as of press time. 

A spokesperson for Pfizer told Check Your Fact via email that the document featured in the post is related to the delisting of Pfizer’s “0.250% notes” due in 2022, which had been paid in full on the date the document was listed. A note is a “legal document that serves as an IOU from a borrower to a creditor or an investor,” according to Investopedia.

“The 0.250% Notes due 2022 were euro denominated notes that were paid in full on March 7, 2022 in accordance with their terms and maturity date,” said the spokesperson. “As a result, the 0.250% Notes due 2022 are no longer outstanding and thus are delisted from the NYSE. Pfizer’s Common Stock (‘PFE’) continues to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.” (RELATED: Did The FDA Accuse Pfizer Of Misrepresenting The Safety Of Its COVID-19 Vaccine?)

This is not the first time Pfizer has been targeted with misinformation. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from February 2022 that claimed the Food and Drug Administration had accused the company of misrepresenting its COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, along with all the approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines, are safe and effective.