Numerous patients have allegedly suffered serious shingles shot reactions soon after receiving the Zostavax vaccine, reactions they say were allegedly not clearly mentioned on the warning label. Many of these patients have opted to file legal action against Merck & Co., the maker of Zostavax.

One of the most recent Zostavax lawsuits was filed by a couple from West Virginia, alleging that one of them had developed adverse shingles shot reactions.

Plaintiff couple William L. and Forest L. conjointly filed this Zostavax lawsuit soon after William developed severe vaccine reactions, which included permanent vision damage in his right eye.

According to the Zostavax lawsuit, William received the vaccine for typical prevention purposes and had no reason to believe he was at risk for any serious shingles shot reactions. At the time William received Zostavax vaccine, he says he and his physician reviewed the patient information sheet provided by Merck.

According to the patient information sheet, reported Zostavax reactions includes headaches, local reaction to shingles injection, fever, joint pain, muscle pain, nausea, and chickenpox or shingles development.

However, the Zostavax lawsuit states William developed a shingles rash and severe vision problems, which eventually caused blindness in his right eye.

William and Forest opted to file legal action against Merck after discovering blindness and severe vision damage had been reported by other patients. Reports of events like these have been submitted to the FDA’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Overview of Zostavax Complications

The Zostavax shot is one of two primary inoculations against shingles and is recommended for patients over the age of 50, according to the CDC. This vaccine is considered routine for the health of older patients, especially for those who may be vulnerable to shingles.

The Zostavax shot contains a weakened chickenpox virus, with a dormant variant of the disease thought to be the cause of shingles. This means that adults who have previously had chickenpox as children may face an increased risk of shingles.

The Zostavax shot is meant to help prepare patients’ immune systems to fight shingles, and is considered one of the most prevalent prevention methods against this disease.

According to a Cochrane review that consisted of 38,000 patients 60 years and older, Zostavax vaccine was shown to reduce the incidents of shingles by 51 percent. This study had also shown that the vaccine had reduced the likelihood of postherpetic neuralgia by 67 percent, and reduced the severity and duration of shingles pain by 61 percent.

Even though the Zostavax vaccine has prevented many cases of shingles, it has been alleged that some of these vaccines contain a virus strain too potent for patients. While the Zostavax patient information sheet did describe several different vaccine reactions, it allegedly fails to mention the more serious complications patients have mentioned.

It was not until 2016 that Zostavax’s warning label was updated to include vision damage caused by eye inflammation when there had been reports of blindness years earlier. Along with reports of paralysis, brain damage, and even death, the FDA issued two black box warnings to the Zostavax warning label.

Even though these complications can be devastating to patients’ health, Merck allegedly failed to disclose this information to the public, the plaintiffs say. This Zostavax lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2848, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar vaccine reactions.

This Zostavax Lawsuit is Case 2:19-cv-00472-HB, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania.