Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Texas has announced a $41.5 million settlement with pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Tris Pharma over allegations that both companies supplied an adulterated ADHD medication and manipulated test results to secure Medicaid reimbursements.
Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement yesterday said the agreement resolves a 2023 lawsuit accusing the companies of falsifying quality-control data for Quillivant XR, a liquid ADHD drug that laboratory tests showed “frequently did not dissolve properly” between 2012 and 2018. Paxton alleged the drug therefore failed to work as intended for thousands of children.
“Pfizer and Tris Pharma provided adulterated drugs to children for years,” Paxton said. “Under my watch, Big Pharma will not escape justice for lying about the effectiveness of its drugs.”
Both companies deny wrongdoing. Pfizer said it found “no impact on patient safety” and stressed that it takes product-quality allegations “very seriously.” Tris Pharma echoed that position, insisting: “We fully stand by the quality of our Quillivant, now and in the past.”
Quillivant XR was originally developed by NextWave Pharmaceuticals, which Pfizer acquired in 2012. Tris Pharma manufactured the medication on Pfizer’s behalf until 2018, when it purchased the product line outright.
The case began after Tarik Ahmed, Tris Pharma’s former technology chief, filed a whistleblower complaint alleging manipulated laboratory results. His disclosure triggered a state investigation and the subsequent lawsuit.
Paxton said the settlement sends a strong message to pharmaceutical manufacturers: “Texas will hold any company accountable if it seeks to defraud taxpayers or compromise children’s health.”
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Juliet Jacob 
