Kansas has filed a lawsuit against Pfizer in the District Court of Thomas County, alleging that the company made misleading claims about its COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness and safety24. The state accuses Pfizer of violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act by concealing risks associated with the vaccine, such as pregnancy complications and heart inflammation2.
Kansas contested Pfizer's claims regarding the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine against mutated variants and its ability to prevent transmission. In the lawsuit filed by Kansas, it alleges that Pfizer falsely claimed that its vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech for the original strain of the virus, maintained high effectiveness against mutated variants. Additionally, Kansas claims that Pfizer falsely advertised that the vaccine would not only prevent illness but also transmission of the virus.
The legal action against Pfizer filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains pending. Texas sued Pfizer in November 2023, accusing the pharmaceutical company of falsely claiming that its COVID-19 vaccine was effective against all strains of the virus and that it would prevent transmission of the virus. Pfizer has called the case meritless. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach mentioned that other states had been collaborating with Kansas in its investigation and are expected to file lawsuits as well3.