Lawsuit Says Merck Hid Serious Risks Posed by Gardasil HPV Vaccine

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island woman has accused Merck & Company Inc. of misleading doctors, consumers and the Food and Drug Administration about the efficacy and safety of Gardasil, alleging she was permanently injured after receiving multiple injections of the cervical cancer vaccine.

In an Aug. 19 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, plaintiff Julia Balasco says the vaccine caused her to develop an autoimmune disease known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which prevented her from physically attending most of high school.

Balasco, who first received the Gardasil HPV vaccine when …