Merck Quits Lobbying for Mandatory Gardasil Vaccination

According to a Wall Street Journal News Alert just in, Merck said it will stop lobbying states to pass laws requiring that preteen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer in the face of a growing backlash among parents, physicians and consumer advocates. Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign was intended to boost sales of its Gardasil vaccine.

"Merck & Co. said it would stop lobbying states to pass laws requiring that preteen girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer in the face of a growing backlash among parents, physicians and consumer advocates.

"Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign was intended to boost sales of its Gardasil vaccine, which received Food and Drug Administration approval last year. Gardasil provides protection against two strains of the human papillomavirus that are thought to cause the majority of cervical-cancer cases."

Richard Haupt, Merck's executive director of medical affairs said Merck has "decided at this point not to lobby for school laws any further."

Hurray for Medical Affairs, the "heroes of the pharmaceutical industry" (see "God Bless R&D, but Marketers May Go to Hell!").

We told you so, as you can plainly see from the results of a recent Pharma Marketing poll:

And this is the sentiment of industry insiders, not a bunch of hysterical parents!