COLUMNS-Vaccines to Cover Thimerosal, SV40 Litigation

Litigation stemming from the administration of vaccines used to prevent disease has had a place in the American civil justice system for decades. Recently, however, two areas of vaccine litigation have emerged and are challenging the means by which traditional vaccine-related claims are adjudicated.

Thimerosal and SV40 - one a mercury-based preservative in common inoculations, the other a monkey virus that contaminated injectable and oral versions of the polio vaccine in the 50s and 60s and possibly beyond - are beginning to shape the future of vaccine litigation.

Though unique in their application and alleged effect, each raises complex …