Pfizer and Tris Pharma sued for supplying compromised ADHD medicine to children
The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against Pfizer and Tris Pharma - a smaller privately held pharmaceutical company - alleging that they knowingly distributed ADHD medication to numerous children, despite being aware that the treatment was compromised due to sub-standard manufacturing practices.
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The legal action originated from a whistleblower complaint filed by Tarik Ahmed, who served as Tris' head of technology from 2013 to 2017.
Filed in the District Court of Harrison County, Texas, the lawsuit claims that between 2012 and 2018, Pfizer and Tris engaged in manipulation of quality-control testing for the drug Quillivant XR.
The tests, mandated by federal law, were allegedly manipulated to yield passing results. The lawsuit contends that accurately conducted tests often revealed the drug's failure to dissolve as intended, indicating that it might not be released in the body as expected.
The legal action contended that Pfizer, even with awareness of quality-control issues, influenced Texas' Medicaid programme to include Quillivant in its roster of preferred drugs.
The pharmaceutical company based in New York, along with New Jersey's Tris Pharma Inc., secured Medicaid reimbursements through "fraudulent and unlawful" statements, as asserted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the lawsuit.
Paxton further asserted that numerous Texas families reported dissatisfaction, claiming that Quillivant did not produce the intended effects.
Quillivant was formulated by Nextwave Pharmaceuticals, a company acquired by Pfizer in 2012. Similar to other medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, it faced challenges with shortages and did not attain a significant national market share.
Requests for comment from Pfizer and Tris went unanswered.
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