COVID-19 Jab Manufacturer Faces First Lawsuit For Alleged Side Effects

BioNTech, the German biotechnology company that partnered with Pfizer to develop mRNA COVID-19 shots, faces a historic lawsuit in Germany over COVID-19 jab side effects.

The landmark suit could potentially open the door for hundreds of similar cases in the European country.

A woman is suing the company “for at least 150,000 euro ($161,500) in damages for bodily harm as well as compensation for unspecified material damage,” Reuters reports.

BioNTech faces first German lawsuit over alleged COVID vaccine side effects https://t.co/9kM9ywVM5f pic.twitter.com/rup4H9H3VM

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 11, 2023

She claims her side effects from the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot were “upper-body pain, swollen extremities, fatigue and sleeping disorder.”

Reuters reports:

Tobias Ulbrich, a lawyer at Rogert & Ulbrich, told Reuters he aimed to challenge in court the assessment made by European Union regulators and German vaccine assessment bodies that the BioNTech shot has a positive risk-benefit profile.

German pharmaceutical law states that makers of drugs or vaccines are only liable to pay damages for side-effects if “medical science” shows that their products cause disproportionate harm relative to their benefits or if the label information is wrong.

BioNTech, which holds the marketing authorisation in Germany for the shot it developed with Pfizer <PFE.N>, said it concluded after careful consideration that the case was without merit.

“The positive benefit-risk profile of Comirnaty remains positive and the safety profile has been well characterised,” the biotech firm said, referring to the vaccine’s brand name.

It noted about 1.5 billion people had received the shot across the world, including more than 64 million in Germany.

The biotechnology company reportedly faces “hundreds of German compensation claims” from the COVID-19 shot.

BioNTech is facing a barrage of lawsuits in Germany from victims alleging “lasting health damage from the company’s coronavirus vaccine”

The hundreds of cases represent the largest number of claims BioNTech has had to face worldwide since its COVID-19 jab rollout https://t.co/tPAJJUZiql pic.twitter.com/oCyPk0a1xX

— Prodigal (@ProdigalThe3rd) June 11, 2023

Rogert & Ulbrich, the law firm representing the plaintiff, says it has filed about 250 cases for clients seeking damages for COVID-19 jab side effects.

Caesar-Preller, another law firm, says it’s representing 100 cases in Germany.

Reuters noted the differences between Germany and the United States when it comes to seeking damages from vaccine side effects.

Like many countries, Germany also has a public sector financial support scheme for people who suffer permanent harm from vaccines, known as a no-fault compensation programme, but participation in the programme does not block someone seeking damages separately.

The United States has granted manufacturers immunity from liability for COVID vaccines that receive regulatory approval.

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 granted vaccine manufacturers immunity from liability for side effects in the United States.

In a ‘groundbreaking case,’ the family of a 24-year-old man who died as a result of COVID-19 jab-induced myocarditis sued the United States Department of Defense for “willful misconduct” because it allegedly misled the public about the safety and efficacy of the experimental shot.