| |
The HPV Vaccine Controversey
The question parents need to ask about the HPV Vaccine (Gardasil) is this:
Do you want your grandchildren to lose their mother to cervical cancer before she reaches the age of 42?
Yes or No
The HPV virus is very common. Even wearing a condom does not totally prevent HPV. The virus can be spread by hands or oral genital contact.
About 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the U.S., and 4,000 die. In developing countries, cervical cancer is often the most common cancer in women and may constitute up to 25% of all female cancers. Cervical cancer is preceded only by breast cancer as the most common cause of death from cancer in women worldwide.
The link between genital HPV infections and cervical cancer was first demonstrated in the early 1980s by Harold zur Hausen, a German virologist. Since then, the link between HPV and cervical squamous cell carcinoma has become well established. The magnitude of the association between HPV and cervical squamous cell carcinoma is higher than that for the association between smoking and lung cancer.
The virus is highly contagious, and approximately two-thirds of all people who have contact with an infected partner will develop HPV within three months. Once infected, there is no cure, so it is important to vaccinate young women before they become sexually active.
Some religious organizations, family advocacy groups and conservative political commentators on the radio challenge that the vaccine may cause promiscuity among young women. They feel the vaccine may be interpreted by young girls as permission to have unprotected sex.
If you have a daughter under the age of 19, the purpose of having her vaccinated is to prevent her from getting cervical cancer and genital warts. Many young men and women get the virus without even knowing it. There often are no symptoms. Even if your daughter is a virgin (which is unlikely) when she gets married, the boy she marries may have the virus without even knowing it.
There is a growing possibility that your insurance will pay for the vaccine. Contact your daughter’s pediatrician and find out if they have the HPV vaccine and if your insurance will pay for it. If the answer is yes, get your daughter vaccinated, if she is at least 10 years old. If not, wait a year and see if your insurance company will extend coverage to include Guardasil.
The British drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, is ready to file an application for its own cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, to the FDA.
Merck, the maker of the vaccine, reached an agreement with the CDC - Centers for Disease Control to provide the vaccine to the Vaccines for Children program (VFC), a federal program that covers the cost of vaccines for uninsured and Medicaid-eligible children under the age of 19, at a reduced price. But that cost — $288 through the VFC — threatens to break the bank of many health care systems and providers. The company also has established a patient assistance program to cover vaccine for some lower income women in the 19-26 year old group.
The costs for providers make it an expensive option. Providers attempting to access the patient assistance program are required to pay the up front cost for the first dose of the vaccine ($120) a significant barrier, although replacement doses are free. Furthermore, the program is unavailable to many government-funded providers, even if they don't get government funds for the purpose of providing the vaccine. This means that many of the already sexually active women who see the vaccine commercials and arrive at publicly funded family planning clinics hoping to avail themselves of this vaccine won't have access.
State governments need to negotiate with Merck, the maker of the vaccine, to make it more affordable, and help to underwrite the cost for low-income people without insurance. At $360 for the three-shot regimen, it is among the most expensive vaccines ever. To get immunized with Gardasil you will need to make one initial visit to your doctor and two follow-up visits. State vaccination programs, already under financial strain, may refuse to provide it. This vaccine is more expensive than all other childhood vaccines put together.
Estimates of Gardasil's ultimate market potential run from Goldman Sachs' prediction of $1 billion a year by 2009 to Prudential Equity Group's prediction of $2.6 billion a year by 2010. A cynic might believe that Merck is trying to recoup their losses on Vioxx, the arthritis drug that had to be taken off the market because it proved to be too dangerous. It looks like we may have to help pay for Merck's sins.
The CEO of Merck, Richard Clark, received compensation the company valued at $8.04 million last year. That is more than twenty times bigger than the president's salary.
We have organized Femhealth products into the following categories: Adaptogens, Anti-Aging, Aromatherapy Blends, Brain Boosters, Chinese Formulas, Cleansing, Eucalyptus Oil, For Women, Green Food, Herbal Formulas, Natural Medicine, Liquid Extracts, Magnetic Jewelry, Minerals, Pain Relief, Sexual Health, Single Herbs, Sports Nutrition, Vitamins, and Weight Loss.
For an alphabetical list of Femhealth products, visit our Site Directory.
|
|
