N.J. High Court Creates Multicounty Litigation Docket for Zostavax Shingles Vaccine Cases

TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Supreme Court has created a multicounty litigation (MCL) docket for Zostavax shingles vaccine state court cases, ruling that they involve common, recurrent issues of law and fact.

In an Aug. 15 notice to the bar, the high court said it granted plaintiffs’ applications for MCL, and assigned centralized management of the actions to Judge James F. Hyland of the Middlesex County Superior Court.

Defendant Merck & Company Inc. sells its Zostavax vaccine to individuals over 50, claiming that it can prevent shingles from occurring. The vaccine is administered at pharmacies throughout the United States.