A Great Big Public Health Experiment - At What Cost?

By Dr. Evelyn Higgins

The powerful topic from BusinessWeek, September 7, 2009 reads: Is Merck Overselling a Cancer Vaccine? This served as a very stimulating topic for my show last week as fresh controversies heat up over the marketing of products to "protect cervical cancer." Great debate exists over the topic of vaccinations in general; however, this particular vaccine is of concern because what is sold is a protection against cancer when in fact it is really a protection against some strains of HPV or the human papilloma virus. As both a doctor and mother myself, this leaves room for great discussion with real facts as well as honest science. I think of the majority of moms who wouldn't even think twice about saying "of course, let's vaccinate" if they were told by their physician this will protect your daughter from cervical cancer. After all, what mom wouldn't? ...based on a physician saying just that. Caution-there's more to the story. [more...]