Quillivant XR

2025: Drug proved useless

At the end of November 2025, Pfizer and the American biopharmaceutical firm Tris Pharma entered into a settlement agreement with the Texas state authorities in connection with the supply of the poor-quality drug Quillivant XR, designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The companies agreed to pay compensation in the amount of $41.5 million.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton brought charges against Pfizer and Tris Pharma in 2023. It was alleged that in the period from 2012 to 2018, companies falsified the quality control results of Quillivant XR to ensure that the drug meets the established requirements. However, independent tests showed that the drug does not dissolve in the body and, therefore, is ineffective.

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Фото: Bloomberg

The Quillivant XR drug was developed by NextWave Pharmaceuticals, which Pfizer bought in 2012. The product has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tris Pharma produced the drug for Pfizer up until 2018. The proceedings were initiated on the basis of a complaint from Tarik Ahmed, who served as head of the technical department of Tris Pharma from 2013 to 2017.

During the case hearing, Paxton said the defendants' actions violated the Texas Fraud Prevention Act under the health care program. Patients were actually sold a useless drug with no therapeutic effect.

Under my supervision, large pharmaceutical companies will not avoid responsibility for lying about the effectiveness of their drugs, "said Paxton, who intends to run for the US Senate in 2026.[1]

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