A Wisconsin woman recently filed a Zostavax shingles lawsuit against Merck & Co., alleging the company’s vaccine caused her serious injuries, including developing the very condition it was meant to prevent: shingles.

The plaintiff, Helen L., received the Zostavax vaccine on Oct. 30, 2013, but later suffered from a shingles outbreak along with other side effects including rash, lesions, and even chronic pain. Helen says she began suffering from shingles in July 2015, which she alleges was a direct result of taking the vaccine.

According to the Zostavax shingles lawsuit, had she been adequately warned about the risks associated with the shingles vaccine, she would have chosen a safer alternative and avoided these risks entirely.

Helen’s Zostavax shingles lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, design defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. Helen’s husband Daniel also filed on one count of loss of consortium. The Zostavax shingles lawsuit was filed on July 6, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Basics of the Zostavax Shingles Vaccine

Zostavax was first introduced to the market in May 2006 with its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Zostavax vaccine is manufactured by Merck & Co., approved to prevent shingles (herpes zoster) in patients 60 and up. Essentially, Zostavax is a stronger version of Merck’s chickenpox vaccine, Varivax.

Unfortunately, the use of the Zostavax vaccine has been associated with certain significant complications, including the development of shingles.

Complications of Zostavax

Any medication will come with certain side effects, and Zostavax is no exception. Zostavax’s information sheet includes warnings of side effects like headaches, fever, joint pain, and nausea. However, patients have also reported major side effects after use of Zostavax that were not initially included in the warnings, including blindness, paralysis, brain damage, and death. Since then, the FDA has updated the drug’s warnings to include vision damage from eye inflammation.

Side effects of Zostavax usually appear between 0 and 6 months after the vaccine is administered, though long-term injuries like neurological damage are also possible.

Filing a Zostavax Shingles Lawsuit

A growing number of patients have come forward with reports of major complications after treatment with Zostavax, a popular shingles vaccine—and some have even filed a shingles vaccine lawsuit over these side effects. Lawsuits like this one claim that Merck downplayed the side effects it knew were associated with its vaccine, failing to proper warn the public and the medical community.

If you or someone you love have suffered from side effects of the Zostavax vaccine, you may be able to file a Zostavax shingles lawsuit. 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.

The Zostavax Shingles Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-11408-PGS-TJB, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.