Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is being sued by the state of Kansas over “misleading claims” the company allegedly made about how effective its COVID-19 vaccine was as well as the risks that are associated with getting the shot.
Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach filed the suit in the District Court of Thomas County Monday, claiming that the company misled residents of Kansas about what risks the COVID-19 vaccine had when it said the shot was safe. It also accused Pfizer of hiding evidence that the vaccine was linked to pregnancy issues and myocarditis.
According to the complaint, the pharmaceutical giant also gave Kansas residents a false impression by saying that the vaccine was effective, even though it “knew” that the vaccine didn’t hold the same protection in time, and didn’t protect against variants of the original COVID-19 strain.
In a statement, Kobach said:
“Pfizer made multiple misleading statements to deceive the public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the truth.”
The language and statements Pfizer made about its vaccine violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to the suit. The state is seeking monetary damages from Pfizer, though it didn’t specify how much.
In June of 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a warning to the COVID-19 vaccines produced by both Moderna and Pfizer about pericarditis and myocarditis. Both of those conditions are rare inflammation of the heart.
The National Institutes of Health conducted a review of multiple vaccine studies surrounding the COVID-19 shots, finding no evidence that they were linked to any increased risk of pregnant women having a miscarriage.
On Monday, Kobach’s office added that they’re accusing Pfizer of working with employees of different social media companies to “censor speech critical” of their COVID-19 vaccine, and that they attempted to avoid any oversight by the federal government.
In a statement issued to media outlet The Hill, Pfizer said Kansas’ case has “no merit.” The company also plans to respond to it in “due course.”
In the statement, the company said:
“We are proud to have developed the COVID-19 vaccine in record time in the midst of a global pandemic and saved countless lives. The representations made by Pfizer about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based. … Patient safety is our number one priority, which is why we follow diligent safety and monitoring protocols.”
Last fall, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton of Texas filed a similar suit against Pfizer.
In the Texas suit, Paxton alleged that the company gave the impression that the vaccine it produced would end the pandemic. He added that the claims the company made about its vaccine being 95% effective were also misleading.
Federal data shows that more than 366 million doses of the original coronavirus vaccine that Pfizer developed were administered throughout the country.
In November of 2020, the efficacy analysis of its original vaccine were released, showing that the vaccine was 95% effective against coronavirus 28 days after someone received the first dose.
