June 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. state of Kansas on Monday

sued Pfizer ( PFE ), accusing the company of misleading the

public about its COVID-19 vaccine by hiding risks while making

false claims about its effectiveness.

In a lawsuit filed in the District Court of Thomas County,

the state said the New York-based drugmaker's alleged false

statements violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. It is

seeking unspecified money damages.

"Pfizer ( PFE ) made multiple misleading statements to deceive the

public about its vaccine at a time when Americans needed the

truth," Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said

in a statement.

The lawsuit claims that, beginning shortly after the

vaccine's rollout in early 2021, Pfizer ( PFE ) concealed evidence that

the shot was linked to pregnancy complications, including

miscarriage, as well as inflammation in and around the heart,

known as myocarditis and pericarditis.

"The representations made by Pfizer ( PFE ) about its COVID-19

vaccine have been accurate and science-based," Pfizer ( PFE ) said in a

statement, adding that it believed the lawsuit had no merit.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2021 added a

warning about myocarditis and pericarditis to the vaccine's

label. The side effects are rare and most often occur in

adolescent boys and young men.

A 2023 review of 21 studies by the U.S. National Institutes

of Health concluded that COVID vaccines were not linked to

miscarriage.

Kansas also said Pfizer ( PFE ) falsely claimed that its vaccine,

which was developed with German partner BioNTech for

the original strain of the virus, retained a high effectiveness

against mutated variants, and that it would prevent not only

illness but transmission.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar lawsuit

against Pfizer ( PFE ) last year, which remains pending. Pfizer ( PFE ) has also

called that case meritless.

Kobach said on Monday that other states had been

collaborating with Kansas in its investigation and are expected

to file lawsuits as well.

BioNTech is not a defendant in the case.