Texas AG Paxton suing Pfizer for attempted censorship, ‘misrepresenting’ COVID-19 vaccination

Texas Lawyer Common Ken Paxton (R) introduced Thursday he’s suing the pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, alleging the corporate “misrepresented” the effectiveness of its extensively administered COVID-19 vaccine.

In his announcement, Paxton accused Pfizer of violating the Texas Misleading Commerce Practices Act by making “false, misleading, and deceptive acts and practices by making unsupported claims relating to the corporate’s COVID-19 vaccine.”

The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer appeared its vaccine would finish the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the corporate’s claims of its shot being 95 % efficient had been deceptive.

Greater than 366 million doses of Pfizer’s unique coronavirus vaccine had been administered within the U.S., in accordance with federal information. The outcomes of an efficacy evaluation of the corporate’s unique COVID-19 vaccine launched in November 2020 decided that the injection was 95 % efficient in opposition to COVID-19 28 days after the primary dose. Paxton’s lawsuit claims these outcomes had been achieved in a “technical, and synthetic manner.”

“We’re pursuing justice for the individuals of Texas, a lot of whom had been coerced by tyrannical vaccine mandates to take a faulty product offered by lies,” Paxton mentioned in an announcement.

“The details are clear. Pfizer didn’t inform the reality about their COVID-19 vaccines,” he added. “Whereas the Biden Administration weaponized the pandemic to drive unlawful public well being decrees on the general public and enrich pharmaceutical corporations, I’ll use each device I’ve to guard our residents who had been misled and harmed by Pfizer’s actions.”

The go well with alleges 5 violations of the Texas Misleading Commerce Practices Act in whole.

It additionally accuses Pfizer of utilizing social media to “intimidate” and “silence outstanding truth-tellers,” particularly singling out former Meals and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who sits on Pfizer’s board of administrators and have become a outstanding voice on immunization practices in the course of the pandemic.

Paxton’s go well with factors to cases by which Gottlieb allegedly flagged posts or accounts that questioned or refuted the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine, arguing that he did so with the data that these accounts can be adversely affected.

The lawsuit is requesting that Pfizer be barred from “making representations in regards to the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine” in addition to “coordinating with social media platforms to silence truthful speech about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.”

The go well with has additionally requested for $10,000 in civil penalties for every alleged violation, together with further awards of restitution.

When reached for remark, Pfizer mentioned in an announcement, “Pfizer is deeply dedicated to the well-being of the sufferers it serves and has no larger precedence than the protection and effectiveness of its remedies and vaccines. Since its preliminary authorization by FDA in December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to greater than 1.5 billion individuals, demonstrated a good security profile in all age teams, and helped defend in opposition to extreme COVID-19 outcomes, together with hospitalization and demise. The representations made by the corporate about its COVID-19 vaccine have been correct and science-based.”

“The corporate believes that the state’s case has no advantage and can reply to the petition in courtroom sooner or later,” Pfizer added.

Up to date 5:11 p.m. ET