The Evidence Gap: Drug Makers’ Push Leads to Cancer Vaccines’ Fast Rise

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Source: New York Times

The Evidence Gap: Drug Makers’ Push Leads to Cancer Vaccines’ Fast Rise
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: August 19, 2008

In two years, cervical cancer has gone from obscure killer confined mostly to poor nations to the West’s disease of the moment.

...The lightning-fast transition from newly minted vaccine to must-have injection in the United States and Europe represents a triumph of what the manufacturers call education and their critics call marketing. The vaccines, which offer some protection against infection from sexually transmitted viruses, are far more expensive than earlier vaccines against other diseases — Gardasil’s list price is $360 for the three-dose series, and the total cost is typically $400 to nearly $1,000 with markup and office visits (and often only partially covered by health insurance).

...
...And why the sudden alarm in developed countries about cervical cancer, some experts ask. A major killer in the developing world, particularly Africa, where the vaccines are too expensive for use, cervical cancer is classified as very rare in the West because it is almost always preventable through regular Pap smears, which detect precancerous cells early enough for effective treatment. Indeed, because the vaccines prevent only 70 percent of cervical cancers, Pap smear screening must continue anyway.

“Merck lobbied every opinion leader, women’s group, medical society, politicians, and went directly to the people — it created a sense of panic that says you have to have this vaccine now,” said Dr. Diane Harper, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Harper was a principal investigator on the clinical trials of both Gardasil and Cervarix, and she spent 2006-7 on sabbatical at the World Health Organization developing plans for cervical cancer vaccine programs around the world.

“Because Merck was so aggressive, it went too fast,” Dr. Harper said. “I would have liked to see it go much slower.”

But with their high price, the vaccines are straining national and state health budgets as well as family pocketbooks. These were the first vaccines approved for universal use in any age group that clearly cost the health system money rather than saved it, in contrast to less expensive shots, against measles and tetanus, for example, that pay for themselves by preventing costly diseases.

And remember the next paragraph when your doctor or nurse recommends this vaccine:

Co-opting Doctors and Nurses

Girls and their families are by no means the only marketing target.

In 2006, hundreds of doctors and nurses were signed up as unofficial spokesmen for Gardasil, trained by Merck, provided with a multimedia presentation and paid $4,500 for each 50-minute talk, delivered over Merck-sponsored meals. Many were paid for attending Merck “advisory board” meetings to discuss the shots.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/health/policy/20vaccine.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=todayspaper&adxnnlx=1219248138-tRxh8gCmoR6tKDKetChDvA

[kimmerspixelated]

1. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS!!!

Maybe it will be taken seriously now!

[leftchick]

2. I smelled this scam from the start

Merck and Big Pharma are about MONEY, period! And it is interesting the headline calls it a cancer vaccine when it is really an HPV vaccine. You still need a Pap smear, Hello!

It would behoove states to sponsor free Pap Smear clinics than to pay for this big money maker for Merk.

[WhiteTara]

4. I'm a crispy critter from the flaming

I got because I called scam and questioned the validity of the efforts to make this a mandatory vaccine. I know these mandatory vaccine efforts have been called off.

[smaug]

6. Fundie wingnuts got it off mandatory list

Yeah, what is ironic about gardasil being taken off the mandatory vaccine track was the uproar in fundie wingnut circles about something that might prevent a potential 'punishment' for sex. I keep after 'em about their false witness too; a philosophy/religion degree *does* have its uses :D.

[WhiteTara]

8. that is ironic. I was concerned about health

I remember the swine flu vaccine that killed a lot of people and I've been leery since.

[Hannah Bell]

10. or, rather than babble re "fundie wingnuts," you could ask what compelling

health concern got it on the "mandatory track" in the first place.

a vaccine that, at best, would save 2800 lives/yr (<.002%), for a disease who's incidence is declining about 2-4%/yr, which occurs mainly in women > 40, & is very treatable.

For this "benefit", we're told we should pay millions to billions at $500 a pop (most childhood vaccines cost < $5/dose) & vaccinate all 11-12 y/o girls - but not boys, for some reason.

If you can't see the idiocy, you're not paying attention.

[Hannah Bell]

11. kicking again....

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. it was Merck's bank account, critically ill after Vioxx judgement

Merck got deathly sick when it was time to start paying out the Vioxx settlements,
so the vaccine was "fast tracked" as you would do a medicine needed to stem a
sort of epidemic.

[Hannah Bell]

7. i wouldn't be too sure....

[Hannah Bell]

3. kick

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[antigop]

5. Minnesota Board of Pharmacy: Payments to Practitioners Documents

http://www.phcybrd.state.mn.us/main_pay.htm

In 1993, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law that limits the amount of gifts that pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers can give to practitioners. (By law, “practitioners” is defined as basically anyone licensed by the state who can prescribe prescription drugs). In addition, the law also requires pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers to report certain payments that are made to practitioners. The relevant sections of the law are Minnesota Statutes §151.461 and Minnesota Statutes §151.47, subd. 1(f).

The reports submitted by wholesalers and manufacturers are classified as public data. Since the Board has been receiving an increasing number of requests for the reports, they have been scanned into Adobe (pdf) documents, which can be viewed and downloaded or printed from this website. Beginning with the reports for the year 2007, the Board requested that reports be submitted as xls (Microsoft Excel) files if possible. Cover letters have also been posted. These usually appear as Microsoft Word documents (doc). These have been posted, when available. Click on the year in which you are interested to see the documents for that year. The documents are not indexed at this time, but will be in the future, as time permits.

Lots of interesting reports....here is Merck's for 2007:
http://www.phcybrd.state.mn.us/Payments/2007/Merck%202007%20report.pdf

[mhatrw]

13. Important Gardasil information

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=41868&mesg_id=41868

[antigop]

14. kick n/t