Kansas sues Pfizer for misleading COVID vaccine campaign
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The State of Kansas is suing Pfizer for misleading consumers about the effectiveness of its vaccine against COVID-19 variants.
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A medical staff member prepares a Pfizer vaccine during a COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pamplona, northern Spain, on March 16, 2021. (AP)
The State of Kansas is suing pharmaceutical conglomerate Pfizer for making "misleading claims" about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine and hiding its risks.
The lawsuit was filed by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach in the District Court of Thomas County on Monday.
"Pfizer made multiple misleading statements to deceive the public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the truth," Kobach claimed in a statement.
The company has allegedly falsely claimed that its vaccine was highly effective against COVID-19 variants, all while knowing that the vaccine waned over time and did not protect against mutated variants of the virus.
According to Kansas State, the claims made by Pfizer violated its Consumer Protection Act, for which it is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Read more: New E.G.5 Covid-19 variant causing 17% of all infections in US
Moreover, the lawsuit says that Pfizer misled Kansans, ignoring the risks of the vaccine and concealing evidence that it would lead to pregnancy complications, which include miscarriage and rare heart inflammation conditions known as myocarditis and pericarditis.
"Pfizer said its COVID-19 vaccine was safe even though it knew its COVID-19 vaccine was connected to serious adverse events, including myocarditis and pericarditis, failed pregnancies, and deaths. Pfizer concealed this critical safety information from the public," the lawsuit details.
On the other hand, Pfizer said that the case had "no merit", claiming that the representations made by the company about the vaccine have been "accurate and science-based."
Similarly, in November 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the company for misrepresenting the efficacy of the vaccine.
In a complaint filed in a Lubbock County state court, Paxton said it was misleading for Pfizer to claim its vaccine was 95% effective because it offered a "relative risk reduction" for people who took it.
The case remains pending, however, other states are expected to follow suit and sue the company.
Read more: Pfizer CEO escaped questions at Davos about effect of Covid vaccine
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