A passerby strolls by the Pfizer Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, on December 7, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo.
On Monday, the state of Kansas launched a lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging the pharmaceutical giant misled the public about its COVID-19 vaccine by concealing risks and making false claims about its efficacy.
Filed in the District Court of Thomas County, the lawsuit claims that Pfizer’s purportedly deceptive statements violate the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. Kansas seeks unspecified monetary damages in response to these allegations.
“Pfizer misled the public about its vaccine during a critical time when truth was paramount,” asserted Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican.
The suit alleges that soon after the vaccine’s early 2021 rollout, Pfizer hid evidence linking the vaccine to pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, as well as myocarditis and pericarditis—inflammations of the heart and surrounding areas.
In response, Pfizer maintained that their vaccine’s representations were accurate and based on scientific evidence, dismissing the lawsuit as baseless.
In June 2021, the FDA added warnings about myocarditis and pericarditis to the vaccine’s label, noting these side effects were rare and primarily affected adolescent boys and young men. A 2023 review of 21 studies by the NIH found no link between COVID vaccines and miscarriage.
Kansas also contends that Pfizer falsely asserted its vaccine, co-developed with German partner BioNTech, was highly effective against mutated variants and would prevent both illness and transmission.
This lawsuit mirrors a similar case filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last year, which Pfizer also dismissed as meritless. Kobach indicated that other states have been working with Kansas on this investigation and are expected to file their own lawsuits.
BioNTech is not named as a defendant in Kansas’s case.
