Merck and a woman suing the drugmaker agreed to halt a trial over alleged injuries from the drugmaker's human papillomavirus vaccine in a case with ties to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Merck (NYSE:MRK) and a plaintiff who is suing the drugmaker over allegations that the Gardasil HPV vaccine she received as a teen caused her heart issues and nerve pain have agreed to adjourn the trial.

A lawyer for the plaintiff in the case said Merck agreed to halting the trial because his team feared that extensive publicity around Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings may taint the jury.