Four Democratic U.S. senators are questioning whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. followed through on a commitment to divest his financial interest in litigation alleging that Merck’s Gardasil HPV vaccine caused neurological and autoimmune injuries. Merck agreed earlier this year to pay $50 million to settle the lawsuit without admitting wrongdoing and maintained that Gardasil was safe and effective. During his confirmation process, Kennedy initially indicated he might retain part of the fees, including a 10% interest in settlements from cases referred to Wisner Baum, but later told Sen. Elizabeth Warren that he would assign his interest to a non-dependent adult son. Warren, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal and Angela Alsobrooks said their review found no amended ethics documents showing that transfer. They asked whether the stake went to Kennedy’s son or Wisner Baum and how much he could receive from the settlement. Kennedy has separately said that neither he nor his family received money and that he relinquished his interest to Wisner Baum, an account the senators say may conflict with his earlier ethics commitments. The dispute raises questions about potential conflicts as Kennedy oversees agencies that regulate and pay for vaccines. Gardasil was approved for female patients in 2006 and expanded to male patients in 2009; a separate attempted CDC change to HPV vaccination guidance was blocked by a federal judge.