Photo above – Kris Kobach (Credit – Kansas Attorney General)
As reports and investigations into the nationwide handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic begin to unfold, namely the Olson Group report of former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) executive oversight in New York, other states are beginning to take actions against other players in the response.
The State of Kansas is suing Pfizer over marketing tactics of their COVID-19 vaccine that they deem “misleading.”
The suit, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) (pictured right), alleges that “Pfizer misled the public that it had a ‘safe and effective’ COVID-19 vaccine,” which Kobach says violates the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
Kobach says that Pfizer knowingly and willfully suppressed safety and health concerns of the vaccine, namely as they refer to cardiac and reproductive health.
“Pfizer marketed its vaccine as safe for pregnant women,” said Kobach. “However, in February of 2021 (they) possessed reports of 458 pregnant women who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. More than half of the pregnant women reported an adverse event, and more than 10% reported a miscarriage.”
A study by David Cohen, Patricia Greenberg, Brielle Formanowski, and Payal Parikh published in the journal Medicine states that adverse reactions were higher in pregnant women than the general population by about 17%. The study was published in February 2022.
Kobach also alleges that Pfizer marketed the vaccine as safe regarding heart conditions, such as myocarditis and pericarditis.
“However, as Pfizer knew, the United States Government, the United States Military, foreign governments, and others have found that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine caused myocarditis and pericarditis,” said Kobach.
Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO, said in January 2023 that the company did not see a “single signal” of adverse cardiac health despite having distributed “billions of doses.”
In June 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning regarding the pair of heart inflammation conditions to COVID-19 vaccines produced by both Pfizer and Moderna.
Additionally, Kobach says that Pfizer was disingenuous in their marketing regarding the effectiveness of their vaccine in preventing transmission.
“Pfizer urged Americans to get vaccinated in order to protect their loved ones, clearly indicating a claim that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination stopped transmission,” said Kobach. “Pfizer later admitted that they’ve never even studied transmission after the recipients receive the vaccine.”
Kobach also says that the company worked with social media companies to suppress information and speech deemed “critical” of the vaccines in an attempt to avoid government oversight.
Kansas is the first state to file a lawsuit of this degree, and he adds that five other states will be joining the suit. As of press time, Idaho is the only other state confirmed to be suing Pfizer.
In 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued Pfizer for misrepresenting the vaccine’s effectiveness. That lawsuit was based on Texas’ Consumer Protection Act.
Kobach ran for governor of Kansas in 2018, losing to Laura Kelly (D). Kobach was narrowly elected Kansas Attorney General in 2022, alongside Kelly’s narrow re-election as governor.
