Hours before the CDC panel's approval Tuesday of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11, the British Medical Journal published an article featuring a whistleblower's charge that poor practices at a contract research company helping to carry out Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trial last fall may have compromised data integrity and patient safety.

The whistleblower, Brook Jackson, was a regional director in Texas who was employed at the research organization Ventavia Research Group. After her company ignored her complaints, she emailed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. On the same day she sent the email, she was fired.

Jackson told The BMJ that during the pivotal Phase III trial, Pfizer falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators and was slow to follow up on reported adverse events.

The BMJ said she has provided dozens of internal company documents, photos, audio recordings and emails to back her claims.