HPV Vaccination Rates Flatten Among U.S. Teens Amid Gardasil Concerns

A new report released by federal health officials warns that while other vaccination rates have remained stable in recent years, the number of children receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine has decreased following lockdowns and difficulty accessing medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings were  published last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).  While the findings do not explain why the HPV vaccination rates have dropped while others stayed level, the findings do come at a time of increased scrutiny and litigation over the side effects of Gardasil injections.

Gardasil has been widely promoted by Merck for use among both young boys and girls over the past decade, to help protect against HPV infections, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the later development of cervical cancer.

However, the manufacturer now faces hundreds of Gardasil vaccination lawsuits, each raising similar allegations that inadequate warnings and information has been provided about the risk of serious autoimmune disorders that may result from the HPV vaccination, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), neurological problems, premature ovarian failure, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), chronic pain, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, nerve damage and other injuries.

COVID-19 May Have Contributed to Drop in Gardasil Vaccine Coverage

In this latest report, CDC researchers looked at data from a telephone survey known as NIS-Teens, which monitors vaccine coverage among U.S. youths between the ages of 13 and 17. In 2023, the survey collected data from 16,658 adolescents in that age range.

According to the findings, overall coverage under the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program has remained level in recent years, but the data found a decrease in HPV vaccination coverage among children born in 2010, compared to those born just three years earlier in 2007. The data indicates that the percentage of VFC-eligible youths who were up to date (UTD) on their Gardasil vaccine coverage dropped by 10% among those born in 2010.

Researchers suggested that the recent reduction in coverage may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of medical access and coverage during that time period of nationwide lockdowns and telehealth visits.

“The decline in the percentage of VFC-eligible adolescents who are HPV UTD could signal a change in accessibility to vaccination through the VFC program, a change that needs further exploration,” the researchers noted.

However, the drop also came as lawsuits over Gardasil began to emerge, leading to a steady stream of news coverage about the widespread health risks experienced by some users, as the litigation moves forward.

September 2024 Gardasil HPV Vaccination Lawsuit Update

The vast majority of the Gardasil litigation is currently pending in the federal court system, where all HPV vaccination lawsuits have been centralized before U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell, Sr. in the Western District of North Carolina.

As part of the coordinated management of pretrial proceedings in the case, Judge Bell ordered the parties to select 16 Gardasil “bellwether” lawsuits for case-specific discovery last year, in preparation for a series of early trial dates that will help gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation. However, the first federal trials are not expected to begin until the end of 2025 or beginning of 2026.

Additional cases are also pending in California state court, where the first Gardasil lawsuit trial is currently scheduled to go before a jury in October 2024, with additional cases slated to begin in January 2025 and February 2025.

The public presentation of evidence in these early trial dates, is expected to lead to further news coverage about what Merck knew about the side effects of Gardasil, and whether it failed to adequately disclose that information to U.S. regulators and medical providers.

While the amount of any damages awarded in the early bellwether trial cases will not have any binding impact on other Gardasil vaccination lawsuits pending against Merck, the trials will be watched closely and may impact the average amounts of any settlements Merck offers to avoid the need for each individual case to go before a jury in the coming years.