Lawyers Review Shingles Vaccine Injury Cases Nationwide
In recent years, older adults throughout the United States have been inoculated with the shingles vaccine, which they were told would protect them against development of the painful viral infection. However, the manufacturers failed to adequately warn that the vaccine may cause shingles for certain users, as well as other severe auto-immune injuries and complications.
The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are reviewing potential claims for individuals who developed painful shingles outbreaks from side effects of the vaccine, which may lead to:
- Painful Rash and Blisters
- Scarring
- Vision or Hearing Loss
- Postherpetic Neuralgia
- Encephalitis, Paralysis and Other Neurological Problems
- Cardiomyophathy and Other Cardiac Issues
- Pneumonia and Other Lung Problems
- Skin Infections and Bacterial Superinfection
Potential shingles vaccine lawsuits are also being evaluated for individuals who developed auto-immune diseases, including:
- Lupus
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
- Transverse Myelitis (TM)
- Meningitis
- Bell’s Palsy or Facial Paralysis
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Optic Neuritis
- Vasculitis
- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIPD)
Free consultations and case evaluations are provided by the vaccine injury lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A., to help individuals nationwide determine if they or a loved one may have a case. All lawsuits are pursued on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no out-of-pocket costs to hire our law firm and we only receive an attorney fee or expense if a shingles vaccine settlement or recovery is obtained.
Zostavax Side Effects
The first shingles vaccine was introduced in May 2006, and marketed by Merck under the brand name “Zostavax”. However, it was soon linked to reports of causing longer and more persistent shingles outbreaks.
Zostavax is a live virus vaccine, which used a stronger version of the chickenpox vaccine Varivax. However, lawsuits allege that the live varicella zoster virus (VZV) was not weak enough, and side effects of Zostavax may reactivate the dormant virus in certain users and cause the underlying condition it was intended to prevent.
While Merck’s chickenpox vaccine Varivax contains a minimum of 1,350 plaque-forming units (PFUs), Zostavax was designed to contain a minimum of 19,400. However, clinical evaluations of the vaccine have shown that more than 99% of those who were given Zostavax injections actually received about 32,300 PFU.
Zostavax Vaccine May Cause Shingles
Evidence suggests that the Zostavax vaccine is under-attenuated, meaning it is not weak enough, and may pose a serious risk for individuals years after teh injection.
Before Zostavax was introduced, studies showed that the virus may reactivate on its own, causing individuals who may have never gotten shingles to develop outbreaks due to the live virus in the vaccine.
During the first decade it was on the market, thousands of complaints were filed with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system, included problems with rash, severe skin disease, peripheral neuropathy, cellulitis, myalgia, arthralgia, lymphadenopathy, actinic keratosis, vision loss from herpes keratis, facial paralysis, pneumonia, brain inflammation and other complications.
Among the most serious side effects of Zostavax were reports of:
- Shingles or Herpes Zoster
- Pain
- Rash
- Wrongful Death
As a result of the manufacturer’s failure to adequately research the shingles vaccine risks, and warn about the potential side effects, financial compensation may be available through a Zostavax lawsuit for individuals nationwide.
Timeline of Shingles Vaccine Problems
April 2000
Study published in the medical journal Nature Medicine warns that under-attenuated live varicella zoster virus (VZV) can reactivate.
June 2005
Merck’s Shingles Prevention Study claims live VZV vaccine is safe and effective.
May 2006
FDA approves Zostavax as single-dose vaccine for herpes zoster (shingles) among individuals 60 and older.
March 2008
Merck publishes Zostavax safety study, claiming few adverse event reports and that vaccine is generally safe.
March 2011
FDA expands approval for Zostavax vaccine for individuals ages 50 and older.
September 2015
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System includes 1,111 submissions involving serious problems from Zostavax, including 36 deaths.
February 2018
CDC updates Zostavax warnings to indicate it can cause rash or shingles.
August 2018
U.S. JPML establishes consolidated litigation for all Zostavax vaccine lawsuits filed over failure to warn about the shingles risk.
Allegations Raised in Shingles Vaccine Class Action Lawsuits
The product liability lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are evaluation potential shingles vaccine class action lawsuits, as well as individual claims for those who developed more persistent shingle outbreaks or other health problems that may have been caused by the vaccine. Allegations include:
- Failure to properly research the shingles vaccine side effects before the product was introduced;
- Failure to follow through on post-marketing studies to evaluate the shingles risk;
- Failure to disclose reports of problems after the shingles vaccine;
- Failure to issue a shingles vaccine recall or update warnings after it became apparent that users face a high risk of developing shingles;
- Misrepresenting the safety of shingles injections to users and the medical community.
No Fees or Expenses Unless You Receive a Shingles Vaccine Settlement
Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. is a nationally known injury law firm that is focused exclusively on representing individuals, we do not represent corporations or insurance companies.
Over the course of more than 40 years, clients of our law firm have collected more than $1 billion in compensation in cases involving product liability, medical malpractice, automobile accidents and other personal injury lawsuits.
All shingles vaccine injury lawsuits will be handled by our attorneys on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are never any out-of-pocket expenses to hire our law firm and we only receive an attorney fee if we secure compensation for our client.
Protect your family and find out if you or a loved one may be eligible for an shingles class action lawsuit.
CONTACT OUR SHINGLES VACCINE LAWYERS No Fees or Expenses Unless a Recovery is Obtained.
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