Merck Madness

Call it a hunch, but those of us at American Life League who have been studying pharmaceutical giant Merck‘s marketing plan for Gardasil, commonly known on television by its “one less” mantra, have been suspicious for some time. Apparently, we were right to be less than ecstatic about this latest scheme for “protecting” young women from the human papillomavirus.

Just yesterday, Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates government corruption, exposed the findings in new documents they obtained from the federal Food and Drug Administration pertaining to the vaccine’s adverse effects. What have those adverse reactions included?

Here is a partial list:

• 10 deaths have been reported since September 2007. The total number of death reports is at least 18 and as many as 20.
• Just since January 2008, the following incidents have been reported:
  • 140 “serious” reports, 27 of which were categorized as “life-threatening,”
  • 10 spontaneous abortions and
  • six cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

For those with a keen interest in this matter, the complete 25-page document prepared by Judicial Watch is online at http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/JWReportFDAhpvVaccineRecords.pdf. The Alliance for Human Research Protection has been on the case for at least the past 18 months and is equally concerned about the possible jeopardy that children will be in if parents don’t take this matter seriously and become familiar with this vaccine’s side effects.

But perhaps the best resource for parents, and without a doubt the most comprehensive collection of information on this out-of-control situation, is Children of God for Life. They specialize in vaccine news and have not overlooked the Gardasil mess. Among all the excellent articles you can find, there is one that exposes the truth about cervical cancer and the effect Gardasil actually could have on cervical cancer prevention. Remember that Gardasil is designed to protect a young woman from the human papillomavirus, which is alleged to be a cause of cervical cancer.

But what Cynthia Janek uncovered in her research is that “…the FDA knew back in 2003 that a HPV is not the actual cause of cervical cancer. The actual cause is a ‘persistent HPV infection that may act as a tumor promoter in cancer induction.’”

Further, she examines the statements on record at the FDA and tells the reader,

What we have here is proof that there is scientific evidence that has been published in the past 15 years that states that HPV infection does not bear a direct relationship to the forming of cervical cancer. It also tells us that HPV, if allowed to will be taken care of by our own body’s natural processes. . .“most infections are short-lived and not associated with cervical cancer.” With this being said, why do we need Gardasil when our own body is more than capable of eradicating HPV? What we need is a government policy to assist women with the cost of getting follow-up tests when persistent HPV infection is present. This would make more sense and our government would save so much money on these types of programs instead of $360 each for the Gardasil vaccination.

It could well be that the vaccine may not do a thing to protect anyone from cervical cancer, regardless of the claims being made by Merck Pharmaceutical. What the vaccine is causing is death and immense suffering among those who have been vaccinated.

The news report tells us that Gardasil is currently approved for preventing cervical cancer and genital warts in females aged 9-26. It also tells us, as if this is any surprise, that Gardasil “has been one of Merck’s most successful newer products and has helped the company recover after the 2004 withdrawal of its Vioxx arthritis treatment.”

Remember the Vioxx recall? The announcement went like this: 

On September 30, 2004, Merck & Co., the manufacturer of the blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx (rofecoxib), announced the voluntary, worldwide recall of Vioxx after a recent clinical trial confirmed previous studies linking Vioxx to serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke. The withdrawal of Vioxx marks the biggest drug recall in history. The three year trial was originally aimed at showing Vioxx’s effectiveness at reducing polyps in the colon, however the study revealed an increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Merck stopped the study after it discovered that participants taking Vioxx had twice the risk of heart attack than other participants taking placebos. The study showed the increased risk of heart attack began 18 months after patients started taking Vioxx. Medical experts advise Vioxx users to consult their doctor about alternatives.

Imagine it! And now that we know that young women are dying and suffering a host of side effects from Gardasil, we can only hope that, as it did for Vioxx, Merck announces a recall and that Gardasil will soon be just a memory.