That’s what the Center for Science in the Public Interest reports consumer advocates are saying.

The watchdog group notes the CDC advisory committee meets this week in Atlanta for an update on Merck’s Gardasil for HPV, which is causing a firestorm as the drugmaker pushes states to mandate vaccination for young girls. Merck has funded a non-profit called Women In Government, which includes legislators who have introduced state bills.

Last June, CSPI says, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, two of whose members had financial ties to Merck, unanimously recommended that girls between the ages of 12 and 16 are vaccinated.

Since then, the CDC appointed four new members, including Kathleen Neuzil of the University of Washington, who has conducted clinical trials for MedImmune, which receives royalty payments from Merck for the HPV virus. John Treanor of the University of Rochester, who has conducted clinical trial research for Merck, continues to serve on the committee.

Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, tells CSPI that the committee is unbalanced because it’s dominated by pediatricians and government public health officials. “The existing members are focused on the elimination of disease, not the side effects and safety of vaccines,” she said. “They need diverse representation from all parts of medicine, not just people with a psychological and emotional stake in mass vaccination.”