Merck Admits It Was Wrong To Lobby For Making HPV Vaccine Mandatory
Posted by Catherine Morgan on February 20, 2007
The Associated Press is reporting that Merck will stop lobbying to make it’s HPV vaccine mandatory. Maybe “the people” still have a voice after-all!
Merck criticized by parents and doctors for pushing cervical cancer vaccine
[The drugmaker had been criticized by parents and doctors’ groups for quietly funding the campaign via a third party to require 11- and 12-year-old girls get the three-dose vaccine in order to attend school.] — see full article at MSNBC
[Merck launched Gardasil, the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, in June.
Sales totaled $255 million through the end of 2006, according to Merck.
Timing of Merck's push questioned
Last month, the AP reported that Merck was channeling money for its state-mandate campaign through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators across the country.] — see full article at MSNBC
ALSO SEE: What Is Not Being Reported About The HPV Vaccine
AND 10 REASONS WHY THE HPV VACCINE IS A “MURKY” ISSUE
AND More On How Pharmaceutical Companies Are Deceiving Consumers
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Let us know what you think on some of the other issues in politics today…..just go the the WHAT DO YOU THINK? link.
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Mark’s Daily Apple » Blog Archive » No More Peanut Butter, No More Toast ‘n Jam said
[...] only be described as “mad aggressive” lobbying tactics for their HPV vaccine, Gardasil, Merck announced this week that they’re giving up for now to focus on preventing cervical cancer instead. (Isn’t [...]
galvanized said
It was a prudent move by Merck to step back after securing their state-mandated study on our 11- and 12 year-old girls in Texas. It’s clear they got what they wanted in the way of “applied research.” They knew to back off when people took notice that they pushed too hard. I hope this opened a lot of people’s eyes as to how powerful big corporations are becoming, that America is indeed becoming a *corporatocracy.* Scary indeed. The will of the people is being surreptitiously supplanted in these quiet deals between our legislators and lobbyists. It’s high time for some legislation on that practice, with its perks, kickbacks, and IOUs. Lobbying has little to do with democracy and everything to do with money.
Catherine Morgan said
Hi “Galvanized” — Thanks for your comments. I agree with you 100%.
Mom 4 Change The HPV Vaccine — The Flu Vaccine — The Chicken Pox Vaccine — What We Know, And What We Don’t Know. « said
[...] though Merck has said it will stop spending money in a continued pursuit to make it’s HPV vaccine man… – Merck has already been successful in it’s “consumer mis-information campaign“. [...]
jim mcc said
The scarey part of this issue is not the fact that the Merck lobby can buy political direction to get their products pushed into children and even required by law.
Are they any different than Exxon or other large companies that probably sprend more on lobbying that R&D?
Seems here we all lose. Too bad too many politicians have no guts to stand up for what is right. They don’t want to offend their buddies or afraid to miss an invitation to a free lunch.
Seems nobody represents the American people anymore.
The good government officials have to spend all their time in damage control to fend off waves of lobbyist fighting for govt. contracts that only benefit the company selling them.
There needs to be a seperation between ‘Merck and State’.
Catherine Morgan said
Hi Jim — I agree. I knew things were bad….I just didn’t realize how bad until I started doing this blog. Thanks for your comment.
Anne said
My understanding of why Merck pulled out of their lobbying efforts was that people were concentrating on lobbying efforts when focus shuold have been on the fact that there is an actual prevention against Cancer. We have been waiting for this to happen for years and now that it is here, all Merck was trying to do is make sure all girls are protected against the most prevalent types of HPV that cause Cancer. As someone that has been directly effected by Cervical Cancer, I defy anyone to tell me that it should not be mandated. All girls should have the ability to receive this vaccine. Maybe the focus of all of us is to find out why the big, bad insurance companies are not paying for these shots. I had to pay out of pocket to protect my daughter because my insurer refused to pay her Doctor a fair rate so she would not lose money vaccinating. I hear commercials all the time for donations to try and prevent Cancer but no one is willing to take the step back and realize there is one, now, and we should applaud the company for finally finding a way to prevent it and not another way to treat it, which in the long run costs way more than $400.
By the way, don’t vaccines against infectious diseases work better when the whole population is protected against it?
Catherine Morgan said
Thanks for your comment, I respectfully disagree. My response can be found in this post…
http://informedvoters.wordpress.com/2007/02/16/what-is-not-being-reported-about-the-merck-cervical-cancer-vaccine/
HPV Vaccine Gardasil 2 « End of Men said
[...] Merck ‘wrong’ for lobbying Gardasil. HPV Vaccine lobby backfires. Merck Lobbyist Tied To Canadian PM, Who Agrees To Pay For Gardasil. Medical tyranny in Texas turns teenage girls into HPV vaccination profit centers (opinion). No Law To Mandate Dangerous, Untested HPV Vaccine (U.S. News). [...]
Ant Bethany said
The sad thing is a lot of motyhers are mislead like the poster above. It is not a cancer vaccine.. It may protect against 4-6 strains of a virus out of over 110 strains. It has never made a cancer cure claim.
Research about HPV. You will see how fool hardy this vaccine is .. So many girls are dead.. up to 29 as of today..
Why does Merck push for states mandating vaccines like Gardasil.. Because thanks to a law passed in 1986, drug companies cannot be sued for damages once a vaccine is placed on the Recommended Schedule.
Nice huh?