Reply #8: Bloomberg: Merck Stops Campaign to Mandate Gardasil Vaccine Use

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aU9kKqclspgc&refer=us

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Merck & Co. will stop lobbying state officials to require that girls receive the company's Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine before they can attend school.

Merck made the decision after groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics said there wasn't enough state funding to pay for the vaccine or public acceptance, said Rick Haupt, director of medical affairs for Merck's vaccine division, in a telephone interview today.

Merck started a campaign to raise awareness of the vaccine among state lawmakers even before the drug was approved last year, encouraging them to require it for children. Merck decided in the last few days to end the lobbying effort because it had become a distraction, putting the focus on Merck rather than preventing cervical cancer, Haupt said.

``Merck's early push was not the way to go,'' said Larry Pickering, executive secretary of the advisory committee on immunization practices for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. ``We want to convince people to use the vaccine because of its benefits.''
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