Actions Taken On HPV Vaccine Proposals In Arkansas, Colorado; Merck Lobbying Funding Reported In New York

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 14 Mar 2007 - 15:00 PDT

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The following highlights recent state news related to human papillomavirus vaccines. Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. FDA in July 2006 approved Gardasil for sale and marketing to girls and women ages nine to 26, and CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices later that month voted unanimously to recommend that girls ages 11 and 12 receive the vaccine. GSK in April plans to file for FDA approval of Cervarix, and it expects approval by the end of this year. CDC has added Gardasil to its Vaccines for Children Program, which provides no-cost immunizations to children ages nine to 18 covered by Medicaid, Alaska Native and American Indian children, and some uninsured and underinsured children (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/1). Summaries appear below.

• Arkansas: Sen. Sue Madison (D) last week introduced a bill (SB 954) that would require the state to institute a program that would provide an HPV vaccination to girls ages 12 years and older, the AP/WMC-TV5 reports (AP/WMC-TV5, 3/6). The measure also says that the program must be "so devised as to maintain secrecy as to the identification of a person who voluntarily participates in the program" (SB 954 text, 3/8). Rep. Johnny Key (R) last week filed a bill that would prohibit the state from requiring female students to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted infections (HB 2560) (AP/WMC-TV5, 3/6).
  
  
• Colorado: The House Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a bill (HB 1301), sponsored by Rep. Bernie Buescher (D), that would require health insurers to cover HPV vaccines, AP/cbs4denver.com reports. Ned Colange, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said HPV vaccines are cost-effective and could prevent many of the 40 annual deaths from cervical cancer in Colorado. The bill now moves to the House Appropriations Committee (Paulson, AP/cbs4denver.com, 3/8). The Senate Appropriations Committee by a 4-4 vote failed to pass a related bill (SB 80) that would require middle school girls in the state to receive an HPV vaccine unless their parents opted them out, according to the Denver Post. Two members of the committee -- Sens. Ted Harvey (R) and Maryanne Keller (D) -- were absent for the vote. Bill sponsor Sen. Suzanne Williams (D) has said she hopes to get another vote on the bill (Clausing, Denver Post, 3/3). The bill also would require doctors to tell parents about the vaccine (AP/cbs4denver.com, 3/8).
  
  
• New York: Merck spent more than $500,000 in lobbying expenses and campaign contributions as it prepared to market Gardasil, Long Island Newsday reports (Kerr, Long Island Newsday, 3/9). Merck last year began lobbying state legislatures to pass laws mandating that middle school age girls receive Gardasil. However, the company earlier this month decided to suspend its lobbying campaign in light of opposition from some parents, patient advocacy groups and public health officials (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/28). According to New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying records, Merck spent $384,203 in lobbying from 2003 to 2006. According to state records, Merck from 1999 to 2006 contributed $106,000 to "housekeeping accounts" of various state Republican and Democratic legislative committees. Of the total contributions, $33,400 went to Democratic accounts and $72,600 to Republican accounts. Housekeeping accounts are supposed to pay for expenses such as rent and telephones, but some critics said it can be hard to track how the money is spent, Newsday reports. Assembly member Amy Paulin (D), who last month introduced a bill (A 5810) that would mandate HPV vaccination for girls, received one $500 contribution from Merck and several times met with company representatives, but she said they did not pressure her. Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D) budget includes $1.5 million for HPV vaccines for low-income girls and women (Kerr, Long Island Newsday, 3/9).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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