Gardasil is an HPV vaccine manufactured by Merck & Co. This drug is marketed as a safeguard against cervical cancer and sexually transmitted infections and has been on the market since 2006. Although doctors could agree that it lowers the risk of HPV, the vaccine has been subject to controversial debates. Many people have reported experiencing adverse side effects after receiving the vaccine, some leading to neurological damage and death.

All companies that manufacture drugs for human beings are responsible for ensuring that these drugs are safe. Numerous people have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of Gardasil, alleging that they manufactured a dangerous product and failed to warn consumers of the potential side effects. If you or your child has suffered an injury following a Gardasil shot, you may be entitled to compensation. Filing a lawsuit against a large firm like Merck & Co can prove challenging. Therefore, seeking expert guidance is vital.

Overview of Lawsuits Against Merck Over Gardasil Injuries

HPV is a common virus transmitted through physio Val contact. It is estimated that two-thirds of all adults suffer from HPV at one point in their lives. While most HPV cases are harmless, some women develop cervical cancer from the virus. Gardasil is a Drug manufactured and marketed in the United States as a vaccine against HPV. Merck, the manufacturers of Gardasil, fast-tracked the approval of this vaccine without carrying out the necessary tests and ignoring its side effects.

According to recent investigations, the manufacturers of Gardasil once marketed it as a side-effect-free vaccine which is not the case. The vaccine has serious side effects, including infertility, seizures, insomnia, and death. Despite approval by the Food and Drug Association in 2006, the drug has been reported to cause serious injuries.

The results of the investigations indicate that the FDA made an error when approving Gardasil, and they failed to properly examine the results of the Gardasil trials. This act of negligence has caused many young girls and boys to suffer life-changing injuries.

The emergence of recent evidence linking Gardasil to various auto-immune conditions has pushed thousands of families to file lawsuits against the manufacturer. When Gardasil was introduced in the market, it was only given to women. However, with time even young men received the vaccine to prevent different cancers, as indicated by the manufacturers. Therefore, lawsuits against Marwick are for both men and women who have suffered injuries after receiving this vaccine.

The Lawsuits against Gardasil manufacturers are based on the following arguments:

Negligence

Merck has a long history of bringing harmful products to the market. Before the introduction of Gardasil, the company was forced to take one of its drugs off the market. Vioxx was a pain medication that was proven to cause cardiovascular risk. Tens of thousands of patients filed lawsuits against the company after suffering heart attacks from the drug.

The lawsuits on this drug alleged that the company knew of the risk but ignored it to market their product. With the fall of Vioxx, the company viewed the marketing and approval of Gardasil as the move that would help pay off the losses resulting from lawsuits for side effects of Vioxx. Attorneys in the Gardasil lawsuits allege Merck engaged in similar negligence with the HPV vaccine.

Manufacturing Defects

Recent research has proven that Gardasil contains harmful chemicals and ingredients that trigger auto-immune disorders and other severe conditions. Merck conducted clinical trials aimed at concealing its side effects to increase the chances of vaccine approval and enhance its safety profile. The fraud and dishonesty exhibited in the clinical trials missed many physicians who, in return, recommended the vaccine.

Deceptive Marketing

Before and after the approval of Gardasil by the FDA in 2006, Merck engaged in aggressive marketing tactics to overemphasize the vaccine's benefits. The company made it their purpose to scare people about the risks of HPV in an attempt to push for mass vaccinations with their drug. Before Gardasil was manufactured, there was no public health emergency for HPV in the United States. Merck ensured their success with this drug by investing a lot of money to sensitize people about HPV.

After the approval of Gardasil, Merck launched extensive propaganda which scared the parents of teenage daughters and guilted the ones who did not have their children vaccinated. The lawsuit alleges that the company did not employ the same aggressive tactics to address the risks associated with the drug.

Failure to Warn

Manufacturers of drugs and other chemicals are responsible for disclosing all the components of their drugs to the consumer. Additionally, they must warn of the potential side effects of the drugs. Failure to do this could make them subject to lawsuits when the patients suffer the side effects.

Merck overemphasized their drug's lifetime immunity against HPV-related cancers when marketing Gardasil. During the advertising stage of the drug, the company concealed the severe side effects, including auto-immune conditions and death. Studies have shown that Gardasil did not inform public health officials and consumers of dangerous ingredients such as Aluminum Hydroxyphosphate Sulfate.

Disease Branding and Political Lobbying

In addition to aggressive advertising campaigns for the drugs, the lawsuits against Merck allege that the company spent thousands of dollars running campaigns to scare people about HPV and its effects. Merck also used political lobbyists to force the legislatures into making the drug compulsory for children in schools. Merck’s contributions to political campaigns and the health sector were a way of pushing legislators to mandate Gardasil for 6th-grade girls.

Injuries Associated with Gardasil

Merck pushed the FDA's approval of Gardasil by manipulating the drug's clinical trials. Now studies have linked the vaccine with the following auto-immune conditions:

  1. Small fiber neuropathy. Small fiber neuropathy is a condition that affects the cutaneous sensory nerves. Most people who experience this condition have symptoms beginning from the feet upwards. The symptoms of this condition include tingling sensation, pain, and burning sensations in the affected area. Some individuals who have received the Gardasil vaccine for HPV have reported the symptoms and further received a diagnosis for this condition.
  2. Orthostatic intolerance. Orthostatic intolerance is a disabling autonomic condition common in young adults. The common symptoms associated with orthostatic intolerance include lightheadedness and abnormal increase in heart rate, lightheadedness among others.
  3. Multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a disabling condition of the central nervous system. When people suffer from M.S., their immune system attacks the protective sheath for nerve fibers. This causes difficulties relaying information from the brain to other body parts. When left untreated, M.S. can result in permanent brain damage. Some symptoms of multiple sclerosis include unsteady gait, weakness, and numbness of the limbs. The use of Gardasil has been linked to the development of multiple sclerosis.
  4. Auto-immune pancreatitis. An autoimmune pancreatitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the pancreas. This disease is often caused by your body’s immune system attacking the pancreas. This action may be a way to respond to some harmful drugs. In the first stages of auto-immune pancreatitis, you may fail to experience any symptoms. However, you could experience jaundice, nausea, vomiting, and weakness in the extremities after a while.
  5. Sinus tachycardia. Sinus tachycardia is a cardiac rhythm where the heart beats faster than usual. Although this reaction is common after vigorous exercise or stress, it may be concerning when it occurs at rest. Research has shown that Gardasil disrupts the normal transmission of electric signals that control the heart rate. Although sinus tachycardia does not produce symptoms in the early stages, it can result in serious heart failure.
  6. Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by musculoskeletal pain, memory loss, mood issues, and Fatigue. Research shows that this condition amplifies pain by affecting how your brain transmits signals to the other parts of your body. Although fibromyalgia is commonly associated with physical trauma and stress, it has been common in individuals who have received the Gardasil vaccine for HPV. Individuals who receive a diagnosis for this condition experience symptoms such as Fatigue, widespread pain, and cognitive challenges.

Examples of Lawsuits Against Merck Over Gardasil injuries

Many individuals throughout the United States have reported different injuries and severe medical conditions after receiving the Gardasil vaccine. For their failure to test the vaccine before marketing it for use, the victims of these injuries have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of Gardasil. Some of the examples of lawsuits against Merck include:

Lawsuit by Merrick

Merrick claimed he received the vaccine at eighteen when he completed high school. Before receiving the vaccine, the young man was happy, healthy, and active. Following the vaccine administration, Merrick experienced an odd taste in his mouth, felt dizzy, and almost fainted. A week after the accident, he returned to the doctor’s office with severe headaches, and general weakness, among other serious symptoms.

When Merrick joined the first semester of college, his sensitivity to light was serious, and he needed to use sunglasses. Due to the increase in severity of his symptoms, he ended up being unable to complete school. By the age of twenty-three, Merrick had experienced the following effects of the Gardasil Vaccine:

  • Insomnia
  • Muscle spasms
  • Abnormal heart rate
  • Severe headaches
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Weight loss

Merrick has filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California with the hope of recovering compensation for the medical expenses he experienced and continues to experience resulting from the HPV vaccination.

A lawsuit by Ashley Dalton

Ashley had just turned thirteen when she received the three doses of Gardasil in 2012 and 2013. A few days after receiving the shots, she began experiencing severe headaches, extreme Fatigue, and insomnia. Several months after the first symptom appeared, she developed extreme shaking episodes, slowed cognitive abilities, painful migraines, panic attacks, and seizures.

The above symptoms made her unable to continue school, and she had to drop out and stop cheerleading. On October 1st, 2021, her parents filed a lawsuit against Merrick for these injuries in the U.S. District Court in Michigan.

Joining a Mass Tort for Gardasil Injuries

A mass tort is a lawsuit filed by multiple plaintiffs against one defendant. When a company releases a harmful product like Gardasil and causes harm to many people, you can join together and file a lawsuit. When you join other people with similar complaints about a company, you can access expert legal guidance, and your chances of recovering compensation are high.

In most cases, lawyers representing a mass tort will wait to receive their payment after a settlement. Another benefit of joining a mass tort is that you may not need to be actively involved in the lawsuit. Before joining a mass tort against Merck, you must ensure that you have suffered injuries from their vaccine.

Suffering injuries from the negligence of large business corporations like Merck $Co can be challenging. When you file a lawsuit against them, they will seek the services of skilled attorneys to fight against the claim and avoid compensating you. When you form a mass tort, your case is stronger, and you can recover from your injuries.

Join a Mass Tort Near Me

Gardasil, a product of Merck & Co, is a vaccine that is supposed to protect people from cervical cancer and other conditions caused by HPV. Unfortunately, many people who have received the three-dose vaccine have reported serious injuries. Numerous lawsuits and claims have been filed against Merck &Co for the injuries caused by Gardasil. The claims against Gardasil manufacturers allege that the company overstated the vaccine's benefits while downplaying and failing to warn people of its side effects. Additionally, they used scare tactics to lure parents into vaccinating their adolescent children with Gardasil.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or a serious medical condition following vaccination with Gardasil, you are entitled to compensation. By filing an individual claim or joining a mass tort for the product, you can recover compensation for the injuries and losses resulting from the vaccine.

Seeking legal guidance as you battle for compensation is critical. At Consumer Alert Now, we will help you understand more about the injuries caused by Gardasil. Additionally, we will connect you with attorneys to guide you through filing a claim or joining a mass tort against Merck. We serve clients seeking expert guidance to battle compensation lawsuits. Contact us today at 800-511-0747.