Merck Settles Over 200 Gardasil HPV Vaccine Lawsuits for More Than $50 Million

Merck & Co., the Rahway, New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company, announced on June 4, 2026, that it would pay more than $50 million to resolve the bulk of outstanding litigation over its Gardasil HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine. According to Bloomberg Law, which first reported the settlement, the accord resolves more than 200 individual cases that had alleged the vaccine caused serious autoimmune conditions including POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and premature ovarian insufficiency in young women who received the vaccination.

The settlement resolves all cases except for one remaining lawsuit: the case of Jennifer Robi, a California woman who has alleged that Gardasil she received as a teenager caused a heart condition that has left her in a wheelchair. That case was scheduled for trial in Los Angeles and would have been the first Gardasil case decided by a jury. Merck is not admitting liability as part of the settlement, and the company reaffirmed in its statement that both research and clinical evidence 'continues to support the safety and efficacy of our HPV vaccines.'

The legal history of the Gardasil litigation is complex. In March 2025, the federal judge overseeing the consolidated cases had actually dismissed the claims on summary judgment, finding that no scientist could 'reasonably conclude there is a causal association between POTS and POI and Gardasil based on this paucity of evidence.' The plaintiffs were appealing that ruling, but their prospects were uncertain. Merck's decision to settle rather than wait out the appeal has been interpreted by legal observers as pragmatic: the anticipated cost of defending the appeal and potential future litigation exceeded the settlement amount, which Merck confirmed is 'considerably less than Merck's anticipated costs' in defending the cases.

Gardasil was once one of Merck's most valuable drugs, recording $8.9 billion in sales in 2023 before the introduction of lower-cost competitors in China caused revenue to decline. Merck has a market capitalisation of approximately $294 billion. Notably, former HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had served as a plaintiffs' attorney on Gardasil cases before his government appointment, had been in line to receive 10% referral fees from successful outcomes but has waived those fees.