The state of Kansas filed a lawsuit on Monday against pharmaceutical company Pfizer, alleging the company made \u201cmisleading claims\u201d about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and the risks associated with the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The suit, <\/a>filed by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach <\/a>(R) in the District Court of Thomas County, claims Pfizer misled Kansas residents about the risks of the company\u2019s COVID-19 shot when it claimed it was safe and allegedly hid evidence of the shot\u2019s link to myocarditis and pregnancy issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pfizer allegedly also gave residents a false impression when it claimed its vaccine was effective, but \u201cknew\u201d the shot waned over time and did not protect against COVID-19 variants, the complaint stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPfizer made multiple misleading statements to deceive the public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the truth,\u201d Kobach said in a statement.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The suit argued Pfizer\u2019s statements and language surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine were a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. The state is seeking unspecified monetary damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a warning<\/a> regarding myocarditis and pericarditis, both rare heart inflammation conditions, to Pfizer and Moderna\u2019s COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A review <\/a>of various COVID-19 vaccine studies, conducted by the National Institute of Health last year, found no evidence the shots are linked to an increased risk of miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pharmaceutical company is further accused of working with social media employees to \u201ccensor speech critical\u201d of the COVID-19 vaccines and attempted to avoid government oversight, Kobach\u2019s office said Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pfizer, in a statement to The Hill, said the case has \u201cno merit\u201d and plans to respond to the suit in \u201cdue course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>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,\u201d the company said, adding later, \u201cPatient safety is our number one priority, which is why we follow diligent safety and monitoring protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kobach\u2019s suit follows Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u2019s complaint, filed last fall, that similarly accuses Pfizer of misrepresenting the COVID-19 vaccine\u2019s effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paxton alleged that Pfizer gave the impression that its vaccine would end the COVID-19 pandemic and that the company\u2019s claims of its shot being 95 percent effective were misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 366 million doses of Pfizer\u2019s original coronavirus vaccine were administered in the U.S., percent federal data. The results of an efficacy analysis<\/a> of the company\u2019s original COVID-19 vaccine released in November 2020 found that the injection was 95 percent effective against COVID-19 28 days after the first dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like Kobach, Paxton also accused the company of using social media to \u201cintimidate\u201d and \u201csilence prominent truth-tellers,\u201d including former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner\u00a0Scott Gottlieb,\u00a0who sits on Pfizer\u2019s board of directors and was a prominent voice on immunization practices during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n