The Medical Freedom Channel

“Questions still swirl around the HPV vaccine a year after it was introduced and as the market awaits a second product. But if the public-health dialogue makes one thing clear, it’s that more women at risk of cervical cancer should get Pap tests. A little more than a year ago, the nation’s first vaccine against some human papillomavirus (HPV) infections was released. This medical progress against cervical cancer got swept up by fear-based marketing that helped to generate premature calls for government mandates. ‘You could become one less life affected by cervical cancer’ is the mantra in most of Merck’s ads for its vaccine, called Gardasil. The ubiquitous marketing campaign may leave viewers thinking that cervical cancer is more prevalent than it really is. Merck also lobbied behind the scenes to make its vaccine mandatory for school-age girls, quietly funding groups such as Women in Government that promoted mandatory vaccination bills in state legislatures. Such a mandate, if passed quickly, would have increased the firm’s sales before a competitor’s product — soon to hit the market — was available.” (09/05/07)