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Pfizer failed to provide adequate information about the vaccine development process and potential side effects of the vaccine, such as the risk that the vaccine could cause heart inflammation, and the company violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to a complaint filed Monday in a state court in Thomas County, Kansas.
Pfizer introduced the vaccine in early 2021.
Pfizer believes the suit has no merit, according to a company statement.
“The representations made by Pfizer about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based,” the company said.
Texas filed a similar suit in a state court in Texas in November 2023. That suit moved to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in December 2023.
Pfizer created the vaccine as a “covered countermeasure,” in response to a federal emergency declaration, and that means the vaccine is protected by the federal Public Readiness & Emergency Preparedness Act, or PREP Act, according to a document filed in response to the Texas suit.
“The text of the statute immunizes the makers of vaccines and other ‘covered countermeasure’ against ‘all claims for loss'” during a public health emergency, according to Pfizer.
The immunity applies to claims for loss relating to compliance with local and state requirements as well as federal laws and regulations, Pfizer said.