Merck to end Lobbying States for Gardasil

Here is an update to something I wrote about last month, regarding vaccinating 6th grade girls against HPV. Thanks Suzanne for sending this my way, it is appreciated. From Reuters

Drugmaker Merck & Co. said on Tuesday it would stop lobbying state legislatures to make it mandatory for schoolgirls to be inoculated with its new cervical cancer vaccine.

The company said it made the decision after re-evaluating its lobbying program, which has generated fierce debate with some religious organizations saying it could encourage promiscuity and parents groups questioning the need for such a widespread vaccination program.

Merck's Gardasil is the first and only vaccine against cervical cancer. Approved in 2006 for females aged 9 to 26, it works against strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases....

About 20 U.S. states had been considering mandating the vaccine, many for girls before they entered the sixth grade.

Well at least we know now that this really was an attempt at marketing of a pharmaceutical product gone incredibly wrong. I just find it astonishing that 20 states, or 40% of the country, is capable of falling for a marketing scam put on by alleged health care marketers and lobbyists and Texas has already made the Lone Star Mistake of mandating it already, by executive order (what is about Texas governors that make them think they can decide anything without a legislative branch?).

The only health care Merck was pushing for was their own corporate health. This looks like a case of over zealous marketing of a drug, which could be a great solution to a minor problem, but rather they pushed it like it would cure all cancer. Now Merck winds up with a ton of yolk on their face for trying to market their product too hard and to the wrong audience; getting the government to force it down our throats, rather that convincing doctors that this is the right solution for their patients ills.

Don't get me wrong, if I thought this was a legitimate cure for cancer, with no long term side effects, then I would be jumping for joy and agreeing that every single person in this country and across the globe should receive this vaccine. But when those facts are not clear, and the long term effects are unknown it is not a good idea to mandate it especially when we are agreeing to stick millions of our grade school aged daughters. But hey that is just me.

In spite of my libertarian leaning, I think the government needs to restrict the big pharmaceutical companies from marketing prescription drugs directly to the consumer. Unless you have a medical degree, it is impossible to determine what drug is right for your condition and has the temptation to push every person becoming a massive hypochondriac. In theory, your doctor has gone to medical school, has been an intern and resident and learned a little something about the different products out there, and can help you make a decision on what is right for you. Some say, that if the consumer becomes aware of a product than that could spark a conversation between the patient and doctor.