How Dangerous Are Merck's Thought Police?

[mhatrw]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/life_a_pam_mart_070402_how_dangerous_are_me.htm

According to an internal training manual, Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and the maker of the controversial new vaccine for children, Gardasil, has a highly sophisticated sales group dedicated to "managing" the thoughts and voices of influential doctors in America; a de facto thought police. <*> ...

The "National Thought Leaders" are the jackpot for {Merck's} thought police because they may "be driving the treatment approaches and methods on a national level" and "Typically, a national thought leader influences physicians at all levels across the nation." Once the thought leaders have been studied, categorized and prioritized, the Merck thought police are to: "Determine how to interact with the thought leader; determine what activities the thought leader is best suited; how to best manage him/her based on this information." Inducements to bring the thought leader on board as a Merck "Advocate" run the gamut of education grants, free travel to symposiums at resorts, a prestigious assignment as a clinical site investigator or a spot on the Merck Strategic Advisory Board.

... As a condition of licensing Gardasil, the FDA acknowledged that inadequate safety studies had been done on this age population by stating in its June 8, 2006 approval letter to Merck: "... a sufficient number of children 11-12 years of age will be studied to permit an analysis of safety outcomes. The final study protocol will be submitted by December 31, 2006. Patient accrual will be completed by December 31, 2008." In a breathtakingly reckless sweep of the pen, the FDA was licensing a product before a "sufficient" number of children had been studied to "permit an analysis of safety outcomes." Then the FDA sat back passively as Merck lobbied aggressively to get states to make the vaccine mandatory for 11 and 12 year old girls before these studies were completed.

While Merck has attempted to hide from public view its marketing tactics in the U.S., it has taken an openly brazen approach in Europe to push for Gardasil vaccination mandates through its European distributor and joint-venture partner, Sanofi Pasteur. According to an article in The Guardian newspaper, quoting Angela Raffle, one of Britain's leading public health experts, "They wrote to every doctor of public health, every chief executive, every pharmacy adviser, senior people in the faculty of public health, all infectious disease specialists and primary care staff." Thought leaders in Europe would be paid 1000 Pounds (equal to just under $2000 U.S.) to attend meetings where they would help "plan the introduction of the vaccine." One such meeting was held in Paris. According to The Guardian, in addition to public health experts and celebrities, journalists were paid to attend. "A group of freelance health journalists from the U.K. had not only their travel, meals and accommodation but also their time paid for by the drug company."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Drug companies hav e influenced how doctors are taught for years now

The idea that vitamins "won't help you" is encouraged by them, for example, despite studies published in the JAMA to the contrary.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Evil Merck.

MKJ

[pnwmom]

3. Thanks for the post. Very important information.

I hadn't heard before that the vaccine was approved even though adequate studies on children hadn't been started, much less finished.

Or that doctors and others have been paid to attend meetings promoting the vaccine.