A lawsuit has been filed against Merck by an individual who allegedly suffered multiple medical complications after being injected with the company’s HPV vaccine, Gardasil, as a teenager.
As a result of taking Merck’s HPV vaccine, plaintiff Katherine E. Miller suffered “chronic and severe post-Gardasil symptoms,” the lawsuit (pdf) claims. “Plaintiff has been diagnosed with various medical conditions, including but not limited to, autoimmune hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), brain cavernoma, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).”
The lawsuit was filed Sept. 1 in the Western District of North Carolina. The suit joins around 100 similar claims being pursued against Merck, alleging the pharma giant withheld critical safety information from the medical community.
Ms. Miller was 17 years old when she received her first dosage of Gardasil in 2017. The second and third doses were given in 2018. She and her mother decided for the vaccination “after being convinced by Merck’s marketing that Gardasil is very safe and Gardasil prevents cancer.”
“Following her third Gardasil vaccine, Plaintiff began experiencing abdominal symptoms, including indigestion and constipation, trouble focusing, brain fog, extreme fatigue, dizziness, imbalance issues, missed menstrual cycles, cold hands and feet, and headaches.”
As months passed, the symptoms also progressed and Ms. Miller saw multiple physicians and specialists to deal with the issue. Due to post-Gardasil symptoms, Ms. Miller was unable to engage in activities that “a normal young person would enjoy.”
“Her academic performance and social and extracurricular activities have been adversely affected by her post-Gardasil symptoms.”
The lawsuit alleges that prior to providing consent to being injected with the Gardasil vaccine, Ms. Miller and her parents were not informed of the following:
- Gardasil is linked to a host of “serious debilitating and chronic adverse events including, autoimmune injuries, increased risk of cancer, and death.”
- Merck did not conduct the proper testing necessary to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
- Merck “manipulated” clinical studies in a bid to “mask and conceal” the adverse effects of Gardasil.
- Clinical trials for Gardasil never established the vaccine can “prevent cervical or anal cancer,” even though the company stated in its promotional material that Gardasil was a “cervical cancer vaccine.”
