Four additional states will follow Kansas’ lead by filing large-scale lawsuits against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The states said the company misled the public about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last week, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that he was suing pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for misleading Kansas residents about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine.
During a press conference in Topeka, along with Deputy Attorney General Fran Oleen and Assistant Attorneys General Kaley Schrader and Melanie Jack, Kobach explained the charges filed against Pfizer.
“Kansas filed a civil suit against Pfizer Corporation under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, seeking enhanced civil monetary penalties, damages, and injunctive relief for misleading and deceptive statements made in the marketing of the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer also violated a prior consent decree with state of Kansas, where Pfizer has promised not to use misleading information to market its products,” Kobach said.
The complaint, filed today in Thomas County District Court, alleges Pfizer misled Kansans about the risks of the vaccine, including potential harm to pregnant women and the risk of myocarditis. The suit also alleges that Pfizer falsely claimed the vaccine was effective against a variant of COVID, despite evidence to the contrary.
The State of Kansas asserts several specific allegations in the lawsuit:
1. Pfizer misled the public that it had a “safe and effective” COVID-19 vaccine.
2. Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe despite knowing the COVID-19 vaccine is associated with serious adverse events, including myocarditis and pericarditis, pregnancy failure, and death. Pfizer is hiding this critical safety information from the public.
3. Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective despite knowing that the COVID-19 vaccine is in decline and does not protect against variants of COVID-19. Pfizer hides this critical effectiveness information from the public.
4. Pfizer says the COVID-19 vaccine will prevent the transmission of COVID-19 even though it knows it has never studied the vaccine’s effect on the transmission of COVID-19.
5. To prevent the public from learning the truth, Pfizer is working to censor speech on social media that questions Pfizer’s claims about the COVID-19 vaccine.
6. Pfizer’s misrepresentation of its “safe and effective” vaccine cost the company $75 billion in revenue from sales of the COVID-19 vaccine in just two years.
7. Pfizer’s actions and claims related to the COVID-19 vaccine violate a prior consent decree with the State of Kansas.
8. Pfizer’s actions and claims related to the COVID-19 vaccine violate the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, KSA 50-623 et seq., regardless of whether an individual consumer ultimately receives Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
9. Pfizer must be held accountable for misrepresenting the benefits of the COVID19 vaccine while hiding and suppressing the truth about the vaccine’s safety risks, reduced effectiveness, and inability to prevent transmission.
During the conference, Kobach mentioned that Kansas was one of the first five states to file a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
“The Kansas case is the first of a multi-state collaboration, with Kansas being the first of five states to file suit,” Kobach said during a press conference.
When a reporter asked about the amount of damages that could be awarded in this lawsuit and whether he was asking for a jury trial or a bench trial, Kobach said, “Damages depend. I think at the end of the day, if you’re talking about five states, you’re talking about a large number of people. of 2.9 million or so living in Kansas. I hesitate to give a prediction, because we are not looking for a specific number. In the end it will be a verdict in the case. We have not made a determination to find a bench or a jury.
It’s unclear which states will join Kansas, but during a press conference, Kobach said Idaho will be one of four other states participating.
“Some have said they want to announce it on their own. Idaho is one of the other states that has said they can announce it,” Kobach said.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has begun legal action against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc., citing allegations of fraudulent practices related to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer is complicit in misrepresenting the vaccine’s efficacy, particularly challenging claims of 95% effectiveness, and accuses the company of trying to suppress public debate on the matter.
Attorney General Paxton accused Pfizer of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act through “false, deceptive, and misleading acts and practices.”
The lawsuit highlighted the company’s claim that the vaccine has a 95% efficacy rate against COVID-19 infection, saying it was based on “relative risk reduction” in Pfizer’s short-term clinical trial results.
It is emphasized that this number is an erroneous statistic that cannot be used to influence consumer choice, especially since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates that long-term vaccine protection cannot be accurately predicted at that time.
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that Pfizer misrepresented the durability of the vaccine’s protection and failed to disclose information that contradicted the claim. In addition, it is claimed that Pfizer does not measure whether the vaccine prevents transmission but still promotes it as necessary to protect others.
While the vaccine’s efficacy was being studied, Pfizer was accused of taking aggressive steps to suppress and silence critics, whom the company labeled as “criminals” spreading “misinformation,” according to the lawsuit.
Read:
Attorney General Ken Paxton Files Lawsuit Against Pfizer for Misrepresenting the Efficacy of the COVID-19 Vaccine and Censoring Information
