Texas sues Pfizer and Tris Pharma for supplying adulterated drugs to children

The Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Pfizer and Tris Pharma for defrauding Medicaid in the Lone Star State and providing adulterated products to children with attention deficits. Ken Paxton was "horrified" by the findings of an investigation that concluded that both drug companies "intentionally concealed and failed to disclose the issues with Quillivant to receive taxpayer-funded benefits through Texas Medicaid, defrauding the state and endangering children."

Manipulating test methods to pass Texas legal checks

In a statement, the attorney general's office explained that "Pfizer contracted with Tris, a drug manufacturer, to produce a pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication (“ADHD”), Quillivant XR. Pfizer knowingly distributed Quillivant to children on Medicaid despite the drug’s pattern of failing quality control tests due to flawed manufacturing practices. For years, Tris altered the drug’s testing method in violation of federal and state laws to ensure Quillivant passed regulatory hurdles and could continue to be sold."

Pfizer, Tris, Mehta File Stamped by Israel Duro on Scribd

Paxton is "horrified by the dishonesty" of both pharmaceutical companies

The lawsuit, which includes the CEO of Tris Pharma, Ketan Mehta, states that "Despite knowing about these serious problems, Pfizer misrepresented to the Medicaid program that Quillivant was in compliance with federal and state law, and concealed from Medicaid decision-makers the fact that Quillivant was an adulterated drug. As a result of these misrepresentations and concealments, Pfizer and Tris obtained the benefit of taxpayer-funded Medicaid reimbursement for Quillivant." The fraud took place between 2012 and 2018, a period in which several families complained that the medication did not work.