Gardasil Vaccine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gardasil Vaccine - Essay Example While one side of the pharmaceutical industry argues and pushes for the drug to become mandatory, there is another side of the industry that asks the world to wait. Merck & Co., a world-class pharmaceutical company that markets various vaccines, is currently marketing the Gardasil vaccine. All its products are tried, tested and accepted in the markets with a lot of confidence. Till now Merck has provided some of the best vaccines to the world. Officials state that with the growing number of cases of cervical cancer, Garadasil would dramatically improve longevity and quality of life for many. The vaccine would not only protect people from the HPV infection, but will also help the 6 million cases affected every year2. The HPV vaccine is designed to protect against strains 6, 11, 16 and 18; which together cause 90% of HPV cases (National Cancer Institute). The company is currently on an awareness program called One less and as per Bev Lybrand, vice president & general manager, HPV Franchise, GARDASIL, Merck Vaccine Division, "The full public health benefit of reducing the burden of cervical cancer and HPV disease may be achieved through broad publ ic awareness and vaccination with GARDASIL, which is the driving force behind One Less." The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as of Jun... A vaccine or drug comes for FDA approval after a battery of clinical tests and phases of study. After the approval of Gardasil, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs was noted to say that, 'This vaccine is a significant advance in the protection of women's health in that it strikes at the infections that are the root cause of many cervical cancers" (June 8, 2006, FDA News). Later in June, the vaccine was approved for usage on children as young as nine years old (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices3). Cons The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) formed by the parents of vaccine-injured children is a leading critic of vaccines made compulsory for all people across ages. It also seriously considers the lack of research and fundamental principles that often organizations overlook. The NVIC has called upon the ACIP of CDC to inform them to refuse the universal application of Gardasil. As per them, Merck's clinical trials have not proved the vaccine to be safe for young girls. While the drug has been approved for usage in children from nine years onwards, statistics show that only a small pool of 250 pre teens were tested with Garadasil. NVIC president Barbara Loe Fisher, even went on to say that, "Merck and the FDA have not been completely honest with the people about the pre-licensure clinical trials." Many religious conservatives also do not agree with making the vaccine mandatory as they feel that it may encourage unsafe sex. Health freedom organizations are a growing force today and have been formulated to fight the political power that pharmaceutical companies leverage to sell their products in the market. Many of these organizations question the importance and viability of the vaccine which