Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Despite outcry from parents of girls who have received the HPV vaccine Gardasil, and criticism about the vaccine’s effectiveness from one of its own creators, this month the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed its use for boys. This follows a similar recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Critics of the vaccine, which has been linked to thousands of complaints of serious adverse side effects, are left to wonder why their voices are not being heard.

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A new study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine indicates girls who receive HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines like Gardasil and Cervarix may overestimate the amount of protection the drug offers. According to the report, funded by the National Institutes of Health, some girls think they no longer have to practice safe sex after receiving the vaccination, or that they are protected from all types of HPV or protected from HPV indefinitely. In fact, vaccines such as Gardasil only protect against four of hundreds of types of HPV, and the vaccine’s effectiveness diminishes after about five to seven years.

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As expected, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee this week recommended expanding the use of the Gardasil vaccine, manufactured by Merck, to include boys and young men. The vaccine, which targets the human papillomavirus (HPV), previously has been recommended for girls, as a way to prevent cervical cancer caused by certain types of HPV. Gardsil use had already been approved by the FDA to treat boys in October 2009, although it was not yet given “recommended” status. The CDC reports that approximately 32 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in the United States since the vaccine was initially approved in 2006.

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S.A.N.E. Vax, Inc., a non-profit organization established to promote safe, affordable, necessary, effective vaccines and vaccination practices, has announced a combined effort of concerned citizens worldwide to insist on government compliance with regulations and guidelines in the implementation and monitoring of vaccines. In particular, the outreach effort is focusing on Gardasil, manfuactured by Merck and marketed as a preventive for cervical cancer by targeting the human papillomavirus (HPV). According to a recent news release, SaneVax is encouraging an open letter writing campaign addressing the issue of vaccine safety.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recently added Gardasil to its list of recommended vaccines for young men starting at age 9, for the prevention of genital warts. The vaccine, which protects against four strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) already was recommended for girls by the age of 11 or 12 as a preventive measure against cervical cancer. However, parents should carefully weigh the pros and cons of this relatively new vaccine, which was approved by the FDA in 2006. Thousands of adverse event reports are attached to the vaccine, and it has been linked to more than 50 deaths.

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A recent study, funded by Merck Research Laboratories, a division of Merck & Company, which manufactures and markets the Gardasil vaccine, is touting the drug for use not only as protection against cervical cancer, but also to prevent genital warts and other low-grade cervical growths. The study uses its findings to also promote expansion of the drug’s target market to include boys and young men. Previously, the drug has been targeted at girls beginning at age 9.

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Washington Examiner opinion editor Barbara Hollingsworth raises an interesting question about Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil: If 52 deaths linked to sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles prompted massive, multi-billion-dollar recalls, then why is Gardasil still administered to thousands of school-age girls when it has been linked to 49 deaths in a briefer time span?

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Women considering receiving the Gardasil vaccine for themselves or their daughters  may encounter a lot of confusing, sometimes contradictory information and sweeping generalizations. Because January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month, more women and girls may be seeking information about human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, and the more recently approved vaccine Cervarix, which makes it even more important that truth about the vaccine be known.

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When asked if she believed the Gardasil vaccine presented more risks to girls and women than the possibility of cervical cancer, Dr. Diane Harper, the lead researcher in human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine development told journalist Marcia Yerman that Gardasil has little to no benefit for women who receive Pap screening.

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Merck and Co. announced yesterday that Dr. Julie Gerberding, the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will head the pharmaceutical giant’s vaccine division. Dr. Gerberding served as the CDC director from 2002 to 2009, stepping down when President Barack Obama took office.

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