Merck has rigged Gardasil trials to conceal harms, according to a newly unsealed report by Danish physician Peter C. Gøtzsche submitted to an American court.
Writing about Gøtzsche’s expert review, Maryanne Damasi says, “[His] forensic analysis … lays bare a chilling narrative of clinical trial rigging, regulatory failure and global deception.” In his report, Gøtzsche stated that Merck distorted clinical trial data, making the results scientifically meaningless, and manipulated the recording and reporting of adverse events to minimise the appearance of harm. He suggested that Merck’s actions constitute a profound violation of medical ethics, with millions of adolescents and their families potentially misled into consenting to a vaccine with obscured safety risks.