Canada budgets $258 million for human papillomavirus vaccination programs

The Canadian government on Monday announced that it is including about $258 million in the 2007-2008 budget to help pay for provincial human papillomavirus vaccination programs, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports.

Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended that girls ages nine to 13 be vaccinated against HPV, as well as older girls and women who might already be sexually active but not infected with the virus. The budget allocation, which will be distributed to provinces over the next year, "does not imply" that a mandatory vaccination program will be instituted in Canada, but it "does make the possibility more likely," according to the Globe and Mail. The total estimated cost for provincial HPV vaccination is estimated to be more than $860 million, according to the Department of Finance. About 400 women in Canada die from cervical cancer annually. According to the Globe and Mail, the budget allocation is being lauded by health professionals but could "alienate some elements of the socially right-wing base" of the ruling Conservative Party (Galloway, Globe and Mail, 3/20).

Detroit Free Press Examines HPV Vaccine-Related Issues
The Detroit Free Press on Tuesday examined issues associated with HPV vaccines and state mandates (Bailey, Detroit Free Press, 3/20). 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 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/19). According to some physicians, "fewer girls and young women than expected" are requesting HPV vaccination potentially because of concerns about cost, long-term effects or "moral issues," the Free Press reports. Merck spokesperson Jennifer Allen said that the company had shipped two million doses of Gardasil in the U.S. by the end of 2006 (Detroit Free Press, 3/20).

APM's "Marketplace" on Monday reported on changes in Merck's marketing strategy for Gardasil after the campaign led to "backlash" from various groups. The segment includes comments from Richard Haupt, a Merck executive director; Barbara Ryan, an analyst at Deutsche Bank; and California Assembly member Ed Hernandez (D) (Loeb, "Marketplace," APM, 3/19). Audio and a transcript of the segment are available online.