Health Brief

MERCK CLAIMS IT WILL BACK OFF NATIONAL LOBBYING FOR MANDATORY VACCINATIONS OF SCHOOL-AGE GIRLS

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Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc. announced it will no longer lobby state governments for mandatory vaccination of school-age girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) strains that cause cervical cancer.

Merck has been lobbying state legislators across the country to pass laws requiring the administration of its three-stage vaccine Gardasil®, which received FDA approval in June, 2005. Merck had already made headway with legislators in Texas and Virginia.

In Texas, Governor Rick Perry recently issued an executive order bypassing the Texas state legislature to require mandatory vaccinations with Merck’s product, starting in September 2008, claiming it was to “protect life.”

But news reports now reveal that Perry has suspicious ties to Merck. His former chief of staff is now a lobbyist for Merck, Merck has donated thousands to Perry’s political machine.

Key Texas lawmakers are up in arms about the executive order. Citing concerns about cost, as well as the unproven safety of the new drug, they are demanding Perry rescind the executive order. “We are not in an emergency,” said Republican Sen. Jane Nelson, adding she will ask the attorney general to review his authority to make such a sweeping order.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, mandatory vaccination bills have passed in both the Virginia House and Senate, but the governor has not yet indicated if he will approve such a law.

Gardasil, which is claimed to protect against strains of HPV believed to cause most cases of cervical cancer, costs $360 for a series of three shots. If the company was successful in securing legislated mandatory vaccinations of all school-age girls across the country, Merck’s income and profits from the unproven drug would be staggering.

Merck spokespeople said the company will no longer lobby for such laws due to the controversy sparked by such behavior. Critics have charged that the company was motivated more by profit than by health concerns. Merck also said their donation of $50,000 to the Texas governor’s association was business as usual, not a bribe.

The American Cancer Society and American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended that girls be vaccinated with Gardasil. They have declined to endorse mandatory vaccination, in part because of the newness of the drug. Both associations maintain strong financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.

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SOURCES: http://www.newstarget.com/021640.html, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4591345.html