Merck Lobbies Hard for Schoolgirl Vaccine
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 415
Tags:
None
Do we really think that drug maker, Merck & Co has totally benevolent motives in pushing its new drug, Gardasil to state lawmakers and parents of teenage girls? Merck is bankrolling lobbyists and state lawmakers to push for state laws making the drug a required immunization, like whopping cough and tetanus, for millions of schoolgirls as young as 11 or 12 to guard against cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. That disease is thought to be responsible to most cases of cervical cancer.
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.
But instead of letting parents do their own research and act as, well, parents, Merck has spent an undisclosed amount on the group of female state lawmakers, Women in Government, to introduce the bills. And it's working. So far about 18 states are interested.
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.
An expert in pediatric infectious disease and a dad, Ken Alexander told the CBS Evening News that he believes parents should have the final say over whether their daughters receive the drug. His family has opted to give the inoculation to their 14-year old daughter.
He lives in Illinois, one of the 21 states that are considering making Gardasil a mandatory school shot. Texas is also the target of intense Merck lobbying.
Merck could make billions if Guardasil is required by schools.
But the American Academy of Pediatrics is not entirely on board since many drugs don't show problems until after the clinical trials, when they are introduced into widespread use. It advocates going slowly and monitoring the drug's results.