Zostavax Claims

Individuals who received a Merck's Zostavax vaccination to prevent shingles, and subsequently developed shingles or other serious side effects as a result, may be entitled to receive financial compensation for their pain and suffering. Contact the Cambridge personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman to get started on a claim today.

Vaccinations may trigger an array of claims from people who pronounce them dangerous or even deadly. While the fact is that most vaccinations are entirely safe and have saved many millions of lives throughout their history, Zostavax has allegedly caused harm to many people through varying side effects triggered by the vaccine. In some cases, patients receiving the vaccine actually developed shingles, the very ailment the vaccine is supposed to protect against.

Zostavax contains a weakened version of the common chickenpox virus in order to introduce antibodies into a recipient's system to prevent them from possibly contracting shingles down the line in their adulthood.

Shingles and chickenpox are inherently related illnesses, as they are both caused by the varicella-zoster virus. As a result, anybody who has contracted chickenpox in their life may develop shingles. While chickenpox is normally a very mild and treatable illness, particularly when it is contracted as a child, shingles can cause severely irritating rashes that cause painful stimulation of the flesh for as long as a month in some severe cases.

Zostavax was developed and subsequently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in 2006. It has been recommended for use in healthy patients aged 60 years and older. It is given by through a shot, and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing shingles by as much as 51 percent.

Unfortunately, the Zostavax vaccination may also cause unintended and harmful side effects in patients that patients were not readily warned about. These side effects could even include the development of shingles - the very ailment the vaccine is supposed to fight against.

Side effects of the Zostavax vaccine can include: the contraction of shingles, contraction of chickenpox (which can be much more serious in adults), rashes, hives, fever, nausea, headaches, joint and muscle pain and even eye disorders that result in temporary or permanent blindness. Other plaintiffs who have made claims have even alleged the vaccine resulted in hearing loss, brain damage and fatal instances of liver failure.

If you or a loved one took the Zostavax vaccination in the hopes that it would prevent you from getting shingles, and instead you developed shingles or another serious side effect as a result, you may be entitled to financial compensation through the vaccine's manufacturer, Merck.

Merck is currently in litigation due to its vaccines for mumps, measles and rubella in addition to Zostavax. They are also accused of manipulating clinical test results to increase their vaccine efficiency rating to get it out to the public. Claims against Merck allege the company knew of the potentially harmful side effects of the Zostavax vaccination, but did nothing to warn those taking the vaccine of those risks.

At Altman & Altman LLP, we have over 50 years of experience holding drug and vaccine manufacturers accountable for putting patients at risk, and we will use every resource available to us to help you procure financial compensation needed to pay your medical expenses that resulted from using these harmful products. Drug manufacturers have an important responsibility to warn their consumers about every potential risk from using these drugs and vaccines, and they must be held accountable when they fail to do so.

Contact us online or call for a free consultation to go over the details of your Zostavax claim today at 617.492.3000 or toll-free at 800.481.6199. We are available 24/7.