Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against Pfizer, accusing the drugmaker of misrepresenting the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The lawsuit, announced Nov. 30, contends Pfizer violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by making unsupported claims about the vaccine, including that it's 95% effective against the virus.
The suit says the claim is based on just two months of clinical trial data and represents a "relative risk reduction." Mr. Paxton also noted COVID-19 cases increased after widespread administration of Pfizer's vaccine.
"Pfizer intentionally misrepresented the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine and censored persons who threatened to disseminate the truth in order to facilitate fast adoption of the product and expand its commercial opportunity," the lawsuit reads.
Pfizer told Becker's it believes the case has no merit and contends that all claims made about the vaccine have been accurate.
"Pfizer is deeply committed to the well-being of the patients it serves and has no higher priority than the safety and effectiveness of its treatments and vaccines," the drugmaker said. "Since its initial authorization by FDA in December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to more than 1.5 billion people, demonstrated a favorable safety profile in all age groups, and helped protect against severe COVID-19 outcomes, including hospitalization and death. The representations made by the company about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based."
The legal action comes several weeks after Texas filed a separate suit against Pfizer and its drug distributor Tris Pharma, alleging it exaggerated the efficacy of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication to the state's Medicaid program.