Fact check: No, children's COVID-19 vaccines don't contain motion-sickness drug scopolamine

Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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The claim: Military found the drug scopolamine in COVID-19 vaccines for children

More than 420 Facebook users have shared an article that claims the military discovered a drug called scopolamine in COVID-19 vaccines formulated for children, according to the social media data aggregator CrowdTangle.

"The U.S. military has found the drug scopolamine in Covid-19 vaccines destined to reach the arms of children," the July 21 Real Raw News article reads.

Scopolamine is used topically to prevent symptoms of motion sickness, such as nausea and vomiting. According to the article, however, it is also referred to as "Devil's Breath" and "the Zombie Drug" for its supposed ability to "zombify" a person before rendering them unconscious.

Scopolamine can act as a sedative in some forms. But this article is fabricated, just like many other stories that appear on the Real Raw News site.

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The article claimed that the office of Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger was a source for the information, but it is not true that the military found scopolamine in COVID-19 immunizations, the Pentagon told USA TODAY. Scopolamine is not listed as an ingredient in any formulations of the vaccine, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

USA TODAY reached out to Michael Baxter, the owner of Real Raw News, for comment.

Multicultural Coalition Inc. offered vaccines for children 6 months and up during a vaccination clinic June 28 at the Neenah Public Library in Neenah, Wisconsin.
Multicultural Coalition Inc. offered vaccines for children 6 months and up during a vaccination clinic June 28 at the Neenah Public Library in Neenah, Wisconsin.

Pentagon, FDA: Claim is false

The Real Raw News article's claim that the military found scopolamine in childrens' vaccines is "inaccurate," Maj. Charlie Dietz, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, wrote to USA TODAY.

FDA spokesperson Abby Capobianco also denied that the drug is used in COVID-19 vaccines.

"This claim is completely false," Capobianco wrote to USA TODAY in an email.

FDA fact sheets for formulations of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for infants 6 months through 5 years of age do not list scopolamine as an ingredient, nor do those for children between 5 and 11 years of age, as the Associated Press also reported. No other vaccines are authorized for use in individuals younger than 12 in the U.S.

Real Raw News has previously published several other stories with fabricated statements from Berger, USA TODAY has reported.

Fact check: Story of Marine Corps leader rebuking Pelosi is fabricated

The website's "About Us" page notes that the website "contains humor, parody, and satire." However, the satire stories typically contain no labeling identifying them as such, which often results in social media users taking the stories as true when they are shared online.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that the military found the drug scopolamine in COVID-19 vaccines for children. According to the Pentagon, the military did not find this ingredient, which is used to prevent motion sickness, in any vaccines. The Food & Drug Administration also denied the claim in a statement to USA TODAY. Scopolamine is not listed as an ingredient in any children's vaccines approved for use in the U.S.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, scopolamine is not in children's COVID-19 vaccines