Maker Wants HPV Vaccine Requirement For Girls

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Well of course they do - MUCHO DINERO!

Sheri

Maker Wants HPV Vaccine Requirement For Girls

http://www.wjactv.com/health/10881667/detail.html

POSTED: 4:38 pm EST January 30, 2007

AUSTIN, Texas -- Merck & Co. is helping to bankroll efforts to pass state

laws requiring girls as young as 11 or 12 to receive the drugmaker's new

vaccine against the sexually transmitted cervical-cancer virus.

Some conservatives and parents'-rights groups say such a requirement would

encourage premarital sex and interfere with the way they raise their

children, and they say Merck's push for such laws is underhanded. But the

company said its lobbying efforts have been above-board.

With at least 18 states debating whether to require Merck's Gardasil

vaccine for schoolgirls, Merck has funneled money through Women in

Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around

the country.

A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's

business council, and many of the bills around the country have been

introduced by members of Women in Government.

" Cervical cancer is of particular interest to our members because it

represents the first opportunity that we have to actually eliminate a

cancer, " Women in Government President Crosby said.

Gardasil, approved by the federal government in June, protects girls and

women against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are

responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. A government advisory panel

has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are

likely to be sexually active.

New Hampshire was the first state to add the vaccine to its childhood

vaccination program, which is funded by the state, the federal government

and contributions from private insurance companies. The $4.8 million it has

budgeted for Gardasil this year is nearly one-third of its entire vaccine

budget, and demand is expected to outstrip supply.

But no state has yet to add Gardasil to the list of vaccinations youngsters

must have under law to be enrolled in school.

Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is

spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government.

Crosby also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.

But Skidmore said: " We disclosed the fact that we provide funding to this

organization. We're not in any way trying to obscure that. "

The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if

Gardasil -- at $360 for the three-shot regimen -- were made mandatory

across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which

has been shown to have no serious side effects.

Cathie , president of the conservative watchdog group Texas Eagle

Forum, said the relationship between Merck and Women in Government is too

cozy.

" What it does is benefit the pharmaceutical companies, and I don't want

pharmaceutical companies taking precedence over the authorities of

parents, " she said.

said Merck's method of lobbying quietly through groups like Women in

Government in addition to meeting directly with legislators are common in

state government but still should raise eyebrows. " It's corrupt as far as

I'm concerned, " she said.

A mandatory vaccine against a sexually transmitted disease could be a tough

sell in the Lone Star State and other conservative strongholds, where

schools preach abstinence and parents' rights are sacrosanct.

But Merck has doubled its spending on lobbyists in Texas this year, to

between $150,000 and $250,000, as lawmakers consider the vaccine bill for

girls entering the sixth grade.

Also, the drugmaker has hired one of the state's most powerful lobbyists,

Mike Toomey, who once served as Republican Gov. Rick 's chief of staff

and can influence conservatives who see him as one of their own.

" What we support are approaches that achieve high immunization rates, " said

Skidmore, the Merck spokeswoman. " We're talking about cervical cancer here,

the second-leading cancer among women worldwide. "

The legislation already has the enthusiastic support of the conservative

governor.

" I look at this no different than vaccinating our children for polio, "

said. " If there are diseases in our society that are going to cost us

large amounts of money, it just makes good economic sense, not to mention

the health and well being of these individuals to have those vaccines

available. "

Proposals for mandates have popped up from California to Connecticut since

the first piece of legislation was introduced in September in Michigan.

Michigan's bill was narrowly defeated last month. Lawmakers said the

requirement would intrude on families' privacy, even though, as in most

states' proposals, parents could opt out.

Even with such opt-out provisions, mandates take away parents' rights to

make medical decisions for their children, said Klepacki of the

Colorado-based evangelical organization Focus on the Family. The group

contends the vaccine should be available for parents who want it, but not

forced on those who don't.

But Texas Rep. Farrar said her proposal is aimed at protecting

children whose parents are less informed about or less interested in

preventive care.

" Not everybody has equal sets of parents, " said Farrar, a Houston Democrat

who had precancerous cells removed from her cervix several years ago. " I

think this is a public health issue and to not want to eradicate cervical

cancer is irresponsible. "

Drug-industry analyst Steve Brozak of W.B.B. Securities has projected

Gardasil sales of at least $1 billion per year -- and billions more if

states start requiring the vaccine. " I could not think of a bigger boost, "

he said.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material

may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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