The state of Kansas sued Pfizer on Monday, accusing the company of misleading the public by making false claims about the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine while hiding the risks.
in Litigation The state filed the lawsuit in Thomas County District Court, alleging that the New York-based drug company’s false statements violated Kansas consumer protection laws. The state is seeking unspecified damages.
“Pfizer repeatedly made misleading statements to deceive the American people about their vaccine at a time when they needed the truth,” Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said in a statement.
The lawsuit alleges that shortly after the vaccine’s introduction in early 2021, Pfizer concealed evidence that the shot was linked to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, and inflammation of and around the heart, known as myocarditis and pericarditis.
“The statements made about our COVID-19 vaccine were accurate and based on science,” Pfizer said in a statement, adding that it believed the lawsuit was without merit.
The Food and Drug Administration added warnings about myocarditis and pericarditis to the vaccine’s label in June 2021. The side effects are rare and Most frequently occurring In adolescent boys and young men.
a 2023 Review One study of 21 by the National Institutes of Health concluded there was no link between COVID vaccines and miscarriage.
Kansas also said Pfizer falsely claimed the vaccine, which it developed with German partner BioNTech for the original strain of the virus, remained highly effective against the variants and would prevent infection as well as illness.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against Pfizer last year that is still ongoing, and Pfizer has also argued that the suit is without merit.
Gov. Kobach said Monday that other states are cooperating with Kansas’ investigation and are expected to file lawsuits as well.
BioNTech is not a defendant in the case.
