Is Merck Really Backing Off?

"Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc. announced this week that it
will no longer lobby state governments for mandatory vaccination of
school-age girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) strains that cause
cervical cancer. Previously, Merck had been lobbying legislators to
require the administration of its three-stage vaccine Gardasil, which
received FDA approval in June.

What you need to know - Conventional View
• Gardasil claims to protect against strains of HPV believed to cause
most cases of cervical cancer, an estimated 7,000 per year. It costs
$360 for a series of three shots.

• 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 was shown to have financial ties to a former top
official in Texas Governor Rick Perry's administration. Governor Perry
issued an executive order to require mandatory vaccinations with
Merck's product, bypassing the Texas state legislature. This
connection was explored in a CounterThink cartoon fictionally
depicting Texas Governor Perry fictionally accepting a bribe from
Merck (see link below)

• Texas recently became the first state to require vaccination of
school-age girls with Gardasil, but other states are debating similar
requirements. 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.

• 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.

What you need to know - Alternative View
Statements and opinions by Mike Adams

• This decision by Merck to back off its lobbying efforts over the HPV
vaccination represent a small victory for health freedom advocates. It
shows the power of independent media and passionate individuals to
overcome corruption and medical tyranny in the United States.

• Although Merck has announced it will stop publicly lobbying states
to pass mandatory vaccine measures, it is my experience that drug
companies continue to operate under the table, away from public view,
to accomplish their profit goals. I do not believe Merck will abandon
this profit opportunity, even though they may seek to create the
public impression that they are walking away from it.

• Our CounterThink cartoon on this topic was our most popular cartoon
ever published, and has been widely circulated across the 'net. It
exposed the financial corruption and exploitation of young girls by
drug companies seeking profits. Click here to see the cartoon.

Bottom line
• Merck claims it will no longer engage in lobbying for mandatory HPV
vaccination. "

*SOURCE:http://www.newstarget.com/021640.html

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