Kansas AG sues Pfizer claiming it misled Americans with its COVID-19 vaccine marketing

The Kansas Attorney General is suing Pfizer amidst claims the firm engaged in 'false and misleading marketing' over the Covid-19 vaccine. 

In a lawsuit filed Monday, AG Kris Kobach accused the New York-based pharmaceuticals giant of downplaying the risks associated with the jab and making unsubstantiated claims about its effectiveness. 

Kobach claims Pfizer violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act with its allegedly false statements about the drug. 

It is unknown how much the state is looking to be compensated.

'Pfizer made multiple misleading statements to deceive the public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the truth,' Kobach said in a statement.

The Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing Pfizer amidst claims the firm engaged in 'false and misleading marketing' over the Covid-19 vaccine

In a lawsuit filed Monday, Kobach accused the New York-based pharmaceuticals giant of downplaying the risks associated with the jab and making unsubstantiated claims about its effectiveness

The suit - filed in the District Court of Thomas County - alleges that Pfizer started hiding evidence as early as 2021, shortly after the vaccine's release.

It is accused of burying evidence showing the link between the jab and pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage and a condition that causes inflammation around the heart known as myocarditis and pericarditis.

Pfizer released a statement claiming the suit has no merit.

'The representations made by Pfizer about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based,' Pfizer said.

In 2021, myocarditis and pericarditis were added as side effects to the vaccine's label. These conditions are rare, and often occur in adolescent males.

Meanwhile a 2023 review of 21 studies by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found no link between the Covid vaccine and miscarriage.

The state also claims Pfizer falsely claimed their vaccine was highly effective against additional variants, and that it would prevent both illness and transmission.

Kobach alleges Pfizer violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act with its allegedly false statements about the drug

Kansas is not the only state suing Pfizer. Texas AG Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit against the drugmaker last year. Pfizer also claims that pending litigation has no merit.

Koback said other states are following Kansas's lead and will be suing Pfizer soon.

The Pfizer vaccine was developed with German partner BioNTech for the original strain of the virus. BioNTech is not a defendant in the case.

Government data shows around 81 percent of the US population has received at least one dose of a Coronavirus vaccine after the pandemic triggered a race to get jabbed.