Calif. Man Says Merck Misled Public as to Risks, Efficacy of Gardasil Vaccine

LOS ANGELES — A California man has accused Merck & Company Inc. of misleading doctors, consumers and the Food and Drug Administration about the efficacy and safety of Gardasil, alleging he sustained permanent injuries after receiving multiple injections of the human papillomavirus vaccine.

In a Sept. 16 complaint filed in the Orange County (Calif.) Superior Court, plaintiff Zachariah Otto says the vaccine caused him to develop an autoimmune disease known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), leaving him disabled and unable to work or to physically attend college.

Otto, who first received the Gardasil HPV vaccine as a minor, contends …