Henry Gauvin v. HHS - Influenza, rheumatoid arthritis (2025)

Henry Gauvin, an 80-year-old man, received an influenza vaccine and a Prevnar 13 vaccine on October 31, 2016. He alleged that these vaccines caused him to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Mr. Gauvin had a history of hypertension, diabetes, and other conditions, and had undergone knee replacements prior to vaccination.

Following the vaccinations, he experienced joint pain, swelling, and weakness, leading to hospitalizations and a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis, later considered seronegative RA. He presented medical records and expert testimony from Dr.

Samar Gupta, who opined that the vaccines could have triggered his RA through molecular mimicry and immune complex theories. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, presented expert testimony from Dr.

Brendan Antiochos, who argued that the scientific evidence did not support a causal link between the vaccines and RA, particularly given the typical gradual onset of RA and the rapid onset in Mr. Gauvin's case.

The court found that while Mr. Gauvin met the diagnostic criteria for RA, he failed to establish a sound and reliable medical theory connecting the vaccines to his condition, as required by the Althen test.

Specifically, the court found the proposed mechanisms of molecular mimicry and immune complex theories lacked sufficient evidence of cross-reactivity and did not adequately explain the rapid onset of his RA. The court also found the temporal relationship between the vaccination and the onset of symptoms, while short, was not medically acceptable for the proposed causation theory.

Therefore, Mr. Gauvin's petition was denied as he failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the vaccines caused his RA.