The state of Kansas has filed a landmark new lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, Inc., alleging violations of consumer protections in the manufacturing and marketing of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine. The lawsuit claims that Pfizer marketed the vaccine as “safe” despite learning in its own clinical trials about serious adverse events associated with the product, including myocarditis, pericarditis, failed pregnancies, and even deaths. Pfizer is accused of concealing critical safety and effectiveness information from the public, including the vaccine’s waning effectiveness over time and its inability to protect against contracting Covid-19 and transmitting the virus to others.
The lawsuit, filed by Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach, asserts that Pfizer’s actions violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. It alleges that Pfizer earned around $75 billion in revenue over two years through misrepresentations about the vaccine. The lawsuit also claims that Pfizer used various methods to conceal critical data, including destroying the control group in its vaccine trial and failing to disclose limitations in its trial, such as excluding unhealthy individuals from the study so that only very healthy trial subjects received the experimental new product.
In response, Pfizer expressed confidence that the state’s case has no merit and has pledged to respond to the suit accordingly.
