Research, Develop, and Sell, Sell, Sell: Pt. 2 in a Series on the Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer

[marmar]

from PR Watch, via AlterNet:


Research, Develop, and Sell, Sell, Sell: Part Two in a Series on the Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer

By Judith Siers-Poisson, PR Watch. Posted July 17, 2007.



What has not been done to date is to separate the real value of the HPV vaccine from the PR push to benefit Merck's bottom line, and to track the players involved in hyping the issue and pushing for mandates. Here's a look at the marketing and "education" campaigns, how they have been interpreted and implemented and the risks involved.

As noted in part one of this series of four articles, Setting the Stage, in 2006, Merck captured worldwide attention with the introduction of what is often touted as the first ever vaccine against cancer. Effective against two strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that account for 70% of cervical cancer cases, the vaccine shows real promise for reducing HPV infection in women.

These articles are not primarily about the efficacy of Merck's vaccine, Gardasil, or of GlaxoSmithKline's competing vaccine, Cervarix, which has not yet received FDA approval. Dr. Diane Harper, who has studied HPV for twenty years and worked on the drug trials for both vaccines, told me emphatically that "The vaccines are good and will indeed prevent cervical cancer." But Dr. Harper has serious concerns about Merck's marketing juggernaut, and the push for vaccine mandates for middle-school aged girls.


"I'll give Merck credit - there is absolutely nothing factually incorrect in Merck's advertisements. But the interpretation of the rock stars, and the media, and of everyone else is that this vaccine will completely eliminate cervical cancer. I've worked with ABC, with NBC, and even on their nightly news, their headline is 'HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer.' It's true, that is a true headline, but it is not accurate."


What has not been done to date is to separate the real value of the vaccine from the PR push to benefit Merck's bottom line, and to track the players involved in hyping the issue and pushing for mandates. In this, the second article in a four-part series, we'll look at the marketing and "education" campaigns, how they have been interpreted and implemented and the risks involved.

Viral Marketing (Literally)

As discussed in the first article of this series, Merck is in the enviable position of having the first HPV vaccine on the market. Even without state governments making vaccination required through mandates, there is undoubtedly a robust market for a drug that is being heralded as one of the medical miracles of our time, especially with a 16 to 19 month lead on its closest competitor. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/56677/

[notadmblnd]

1. The other big thing that is unknown about the vaccine

is how long will it be effective before a woman has to take more shots. And when they come out with another vaccine to cover the other 20-30 strains that contribute to cervical cancers, how many series of injections will then be necessary? Also, less people die from cervical cancer than the flu yearly. where's the clamoring for mandatory flu shots?