HPV Vaccine Side Effects Caused POTS-like symptoms, Autonomic Dysfunction and Other Health Problems, Gardasil Lawsuit Claims

Following three Gardasil injections, a Wisconsin woman indicates that she was left with chronic fatigue, autonomic dysfunction, and symptoms similar to those caused by postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), according to allegations raised in a lawsuit recently filed against makers of the HPV vaccine.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Angela Walker on April 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, indicating that Merck & Co. failed to adequately warn about the potential HPV vaccine side effects that users may face.

Gardasil was introduced by Merck in 2006, and has been widely used to protect against HPV infections, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the later development of cervical cancer. The Gardasil injection has been promoted for use among both young girls and boys before sexual activity, and is now recommended by most medical providers, since they believed it carries few, if any, serious side effects.

However, this case now joins a growing number Gardasil lawsuits being pursued against the manufacturer, alleging that medical providers were never warned about the risk of permanent and life-changing autoimmune side effects linked to the HPV vaccination, including POTS, premature ovarian failure, premature menopause, idiopathic thrombocyteopenic purpora (ITP), chronic pain, brain fog, fatigue, headaches and nerve damage.

Walker’s lawsuit indicate she was 22 when she began the first of three Gardasil HPV vaccine injections over a period of several years, receiving the third and final injection in August 2015.

“Following her Gardasil injections, Plaintiff experienced extreme fatigue, dizziness, passing out and falling, insomnia, brain fog, difficulty walking long distances, difficulty concentrating and remembering, severe chronic headaches, constantly feeling ill which was debilitating, and she was practically bed ridden ending her career as a chef,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff was ultimately diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), autonomic dysfunction, and POTS-like symptoms.”

The lawsuit notes that her injuries progressed as time went on, and neither she nor her doctors were aware that the conditions could be caused by HPV vaccine side effects until 2023. By then, she had given up on her career as a chef, stopped participating in most normal activities that a young person would engage in, and gave up her desire to have children due to her health issues.

Walker presents claims of negligence, failure to warn, manufacturing defect, breach of express warranty and common law fraud.

May 2024 Gardasil Lawsuit Update

Given common questions of fact and law presented in Gardasil lawsuits like Walker’s, complaints filed throughout the federal court system are currently centralized as part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Western District of North Carolina, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings

While the Gardasil MDL was originally assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, last month the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reassigned the pretrial proceedings to U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell, Sr, who is expected to schedule a series of early bellwether trials to help the parties gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation.

Last month, lawyers representing both Merck and plaintiffs filed a joint Gardasil lawsuit status report (PDF), providing the Court with an update on progress in the litigation.

Although fact discovery was scheduled to conclude by June 13, 2024, the parties indicated that a 60-day extension is necessary. After that phase of the coordinated pretrial proceedings concludes, Merck indicates it will seek to move forward with a motion for summary judgment to dismiss the litigation, based on federal preemption claims, calling for expedited briefing to be completed by November 2024.

If that attempt fails, the parties will continue to work to prepare a group of Gardasil cases for trial. However, in the meantime, injury lawyers are continuing to investigate and file new lawsuits for individuals who experienced a variety of complications from the HPV vaccine, including:

• Autoimmune Diseases
• POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
• Premature Ovarian Failure
• Premature Menopause
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)
• Irregular Heartbeat/Tachycardia
• Lupus
• Neurologic Disorder
• Brain Fog or Chronic Inability to Concentrate
• Chronic Fatigue
• Chronic Pain
• Severe Headaches
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Fibromyalgia
• Nerve Damage
• Menstrual Disorders/Problems
• Gastrointestinal Issues (food intolerances, nausea, vomiting)

Following coordinated discovery and any bellwether trials in the federal MDL, if the parties fail to reach Gardasil settlements or another resolution for the litigation, Judge Conrad may later establish a process to begin remanding each individual claim back to U.S. District Courts nationwide for individual trial dates in the future.