MSD responds to NYT on Gardasil

Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) has published the contents of a letter sent to the New York Times (NYT) following the publication of an article regarding cancer vaccines.

The company claims the story entitled “Drug Makers’ Push Leads to Cancer Vaccines’ Fast Rise” does not give an accurate reflection of the consensus within the medical community regarding vaccination against HPV and its own vaccine Gardasil (HPV quadrivalent [types 6, 11, 16, 18] recombinant).

MSD notes its vaccine has received almost unanimous support from regulatory authorities, medical associations and policy-making groups, while the NYT itself described the vaccine as a “necessary” one in an editorial on February 26th 2007.

Richard T Clark, chairman, president and chief executive officer of the company, said: “Yesterday’s Times story dismisses the risks of HPV to US women, but the truth is that even 50 years after the advent of Pap testing, ten women a day are dying of cervical cancer in the US, as are 500 women around the world.”

He added his surprise that the NYT article did not feature the views of a cervical cancer survivor, motherless child or widower from the disease.

Last month, MSD issued a response to questions about adverse events reported in patients administered with Gardasil, stating it had not identified any safety issue relating to the vaccine.