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Claimants allege that Merck produced and sold  common and severe side effects have been re-  About one
            “an unreasonably dangerous vaccine” and as-  ported following the administration of Shingrix.
            sert that the company knew—or should have  Within the first four months of Shingrix being   in six people
            known—that the vaccine was not safe.  To  on the market, VAERS had received one hun- vaccinated
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            make matters worse, these injured individuals  dred fifty-five adverse event reports linked to the   with Shingrix
            may have suffered in vain; a physician at the  vaccine.  According to Dr. Kathleen Dooling
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            University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA)  of the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, more   experienced
            has pointed out that one hundred and seventy-  than 70 percent of clinical trial participants  side effects
            five people would need to receive the Zostavax  experienced pain after getting the Shingrix vac-  so severe that
            vaccine to prevent one case of shingles.  (Note  cine, and “about one in six people experienced
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            that adults injured by shingles vaccines are  side effects so severe that it actually prevented   it actually
            fortunate to be able to sue manufacturers for  their normal activities.”  The Shingrix package  prevented
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            compensation—if the vaccine had been de-  insert lists adverse reactions that include allergic   their normal
            signed for children and recommended by the  reactions (such as rash, hives and swelling of the
            CDC, the spurious National Childhood Vaccine  face, tongue or throat capable of causing diffi-  activities.
            Injury Act of 1986 would protect manufacturers  culty in swallowing or breathing), chills, fever,
            from any and all liability.)              generally feeling unwell, headache, injection
                                                      site itching, muscle pain, redness and swelling
            MORE PROBLEMS=MORE NEW VACCINES           at the injection site. 47
                Unfortunately for Merck, a second shingles
            vaccine called Shingrix became available  MANY NEGATIVES, NO PLUSES
            in 2017, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline     Merck  and  GSK—with  help  from  the
            (GSK). The CDC currently recommends Shin-  CDC—both claim that even if their herpes
            grix as the preferred shingles vaccine because  zoster vaccines fail to protect recipients from
            of its greater reported effectiveness. Shingrix  a bout with shingles, the vaccines will make
            claims to be up to 90 percent effective at pre-  the rashes less painful and help clear them up
            venting shingles, compared to Zostavax’s of-  more quickly. Is this uncertain benefit worth it?
            ficial estimate of 51 percent. 40         By May 2019, the number of vaccine reactions,
                GSK is aggressively marketing two doses  hospitalizations, injuries and deaths reported to
            of Shingrix to adults over the age of fifty. Since  VAERS following vaccination with either Zos-
            its 2017 approval, the vaccine has been a top  tavax or Shingrix had climbed to over sixty-one
            growth engine for the company, reaching sales  thousand, including one hundred seventy-nine
            of 1.6 billion dollars in the first nine months of  deaths, over two thousand hospitalizations and
            2019.  The retail cost of the vaccine is around  over one thousand related disabilities. 48
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            two hundred eighty-two dollars for the two in-  With all of these negatives, it is hard to
            jections, compared to about two hundred twenty  imagine why officials continue to recommend
            dollars for the single-dose Zostavax vaccine.  chickenpox and shingles vaccines so fervently.
                As with Zostavax, a significant number of  The answer seems to lie in some combination



                             QUESTIONABLE INGREDIENTS IN GLAXOSMITHKLINE’S SHINGLES VACCINE
                 Shingrix is an inactivated, genetically-engineered vaccine that does not contain a live virus like its competitor Zostavax.
             The vaccine’s primary ingredients include glycoprotein E (gE)—a protein found in the varicella-zoster virus—mixed with
             GSK’s proprietary adjuvant suspension called AS01.  The latter consists of the saponin QS-21—a purified extract from
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             the bark of a soapbark tree native to central Chile (Quillaja saponaria Molina)—and an immune-stimulating fat called
             MPL (3-O-desacy1-4’-monophosphoryl lipid A). The highly potent QS-21 adjuvant is used to stimulate a strong immune
             response in lieu of using a live virus, but it is experimental and little is known about its mechanisms of cellular activa-
             tion.  Some researchers have reported uncertainty about QS-21’s potential toxicity and “undesirable haemolytic effect”
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             (rupturing of red blood cells and release of their contents into surrounding fluid) in humans.  Shingrix also contains the
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             problematic surfactant polysorbate 80, associated with adverse effects on female reproduction and blood-brain barrier
             permeability. 44
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