A growing pile of litigation faces the manufacturer of Zostavax over shingle vaccine side effects—and at the same time, sales of the drug continue to go down.

Merck, Zostavax’s manufacturer, reported making $65 million on Zostavax in the first quarter of 2018. While still a substantial sum of money, that is 58 percent less than what the drug brought in the same period in 2017. Moreover, Zostavax prescriptions dropped by 80 percent in the first quarter of 2018.

Though Merck ties the drop in sales to a recommendation of a competing drug, Shingrix, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this decline also coincides with the growing number of Zostavax lawsuits filed over shingle vaccine side effects.

Indeed, thousands of patients have come forward with claims of shingle vaccine side effects, including problems like brain damage, death, and even shingles—the disease this medication is meant to prevent.

A number of firms are involved in the litigation over shingle vaccine side effects, one of which has more than 5,000 clients. Because of the vast number of claims, the majority of these cases have been brought together into multidistrict litigation (MDL).

One of the lawsuits not included in the MDL alleged that use of Zostavax caused a number of shingle vaccine side effects, including shingles and chronic nerve pain.

“Merck knew or should have known that its product caused viral infection and was therefore not safe,” the plaintiffs alleged.

Basics of Zostavax

Zostavax was introduced to the market in May 2006 after its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Zostavax is manufactured by Merck, approved to prevent shingles (herpes zoster) in patients 60 and up.

Unfortunately, the use of the Zostavax vaccine has been associated with some serious shingle vaccine side effects, including the development of the very condition it is meant to prevent.

Zostavax Shingle Vaccine Side Effects

Any medication will come with certain side effects, and Zostavax is no exception. Zostavax includes warnings of shingle vaccine side effects like headaches, fever, joint pain, and nausea.

However, patients have also reported major shingle vaccine side effects that were not initially included in the warnings, including shingles blindness, paralysis, brain damage, and even death. Since then, the FDA has updated the drug’s warnings to include vision damage from eye inflammation.

Zostavax shingle vaccine side effects usually appear immediately or up to 6 months after the vaccine is administered, though long-term injuries like neurological damage are also possible.

One lawsuit over shingles vaccine injuries alleges that hundreds of serious adverse event reports have been filed over Zostavax shingle vaccine side effects, including multiple deaths.

Filing a Zostavax Lawsuit

If you or someone you love have suffered from shingle vaccine side effects from Zostavax, you may be to join the growing number of Zostavax lawsuits being filed against Merck. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by these side effects, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.