HPV Vaccine Gardasil Caused Neurological and Autoimmune Disorders, Lawsuit Alleges

A Michigan woman indicates she was diagnosed with numerous autoimmune and neurological disorders caused by the HPV vaccine Gardasil, according to a product liability lawsuit brought this month against the manufacturer, Merck & Co..

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Erika Snell in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, alleging that users and the medical community were not adequately warned about serious and long-term risks associated with the HPV vaccine.

Gardasil was first introduced in 2006, for prevention of HPV infections, which can be sexually transmitted and lead to the later development of cervical cancer. Following years of aggressive marketing by the drug maker, the vaccine has been commonly administered to young girls and boys before adolescence and potential sexual activity.

Although it has been promoted as safe, teens and young adults have reported experiencing a variety of problems caused by HPV vaccine Gardasil, including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), premature ovarian failure, premature menopause, seizures and other autoimmune disorders, which emerged shortly after receiving the injection.

Merck faces a growing number of similar Gardasil lawsuits by individuals nationwide, each indicating they were diagnosed with conditions that were never disclosed to parents or the medical community, even though the manufacturer knew or should have known about the risks.

Snell indicates she received two injections of Gardasil in 2019, when she was 26 years old. The injections were recommended by her healthcare provider after a suspect pap smear test, as a preventative measure against cervical cancer.

The lawsuit notes that Merck has issued a barrage of marketing touting the HPV vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. However, as a result of the injections, the lawsuit claims Snell now suffers from several neurological problems and autoimmune disorders.

“Following vaccination, Plaintiff started experiencing random and diffuse body pain, which persisted over time,” the lawsuit states. “After seeing numerous specialists, including a rheumatologist, neurologist, hematologist, and podiatrist, and undergoing multiple tests, Plaintiff has been diagnosed with various medical conditions, including but not limited to, inflammatory polyarthropathy, paresthesia, neuroma, peripheral neuropathy, Raynaud’s phenomenon and fibromyalgia in addition to experiencing severe fatigue, brain fog, and menstrual dysfunction.”

Since the injections, Snell claims she is unable to engage in normal activities, that she suffers from memory problems and brain fog, and that what were once simple activities are now more difficult to perform.

Her lawsuit presents claims of negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, failure to warn and manufacturing defect.

“Merck’s corruption and fraud in researching, testing, labeling, and promoting Gardasil have paid off handsomely,” Snell’s lawsuit states. “The HPV vaccine is the most expensive vaccine on the market. Since approximately 1 in 42,000 American women die of cervical cancer annually, the cost of avoiding a single death is over $18 million, assuming the Gardasil vaccine is 100 percent effective. In 2018, the Gardasil vaccines made $2.2 billion for Merck in the U.S. alone.”

March 2023 Gardasil Lawsuit Update

This case will be consolidated with dozens of similar complaints pending in a federal Gardasil MDL (multidistrict litigation), which was established in August 2022. Given common questions of fact and law presented in the claims, all HPV vaccine Gardasil lawsuits are centralized before U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad in the Western District of North Carolina for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

As parties continue to work with the Court on the organizational structure of the Gardasil vaccine litigation over the remainder of early 2023, lawyers continue to investigate and file lawsuits for individuals who experienced a variety of complications linked to side effects of Gardasil, 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 lawsuit 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.