First Texas, now Canada.

A lobbyist who until 2004 worked as senior policy advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was hired last month by Merck, which stands to benefit from $300 million in newly announced federal funding for a vaccination program to prevent - that’s right - cervical cancer. Merck, for those who somehow can’t recall, sells the Gardasil HPV vaccine.

Ken Boessenkool last month registered to lobby the federal government on immunization policy on behalf of Merck Frosst Canada. And on Monday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced in his budget statement that Canada will make $300 million available to provinces and territories to pay for the costs of vaccinating girls and young women against HPV. Is this a coincidence?

In his filings with the Registrar of Lobbyists, Boessenkool lists his potential points of contact as the Prime Minister’s Office, Health Canada, Industry Canada, the Privy Council Office and assorted ministers of parliament. And he lists his subject matter as “Monitoring health and immunization policies especially effecting (sic) National Immunization Strategy.”

And for whom does Boessenkool work? The Calgary office of Hill & Knowlton, whose prez, Mike Coates, Merck also hired to lobby on immunization. Merck spokesman Vince Lamoureux says the drugmaker has a specific mandate to lobby the federal government on Gardasil. “We had a lobbying firm to help us understand the policy process of government,” says Vince.

Really? Merck needs help understanding such things? What the Merck team really needs help understanding is how damaging its overly aggressive full-court press has been to its image. Yes, yes. Pharmalot has heard the argument that Merck actually benefits from the publicity generated by the controversy. But losing public trust does have a cost.

As for Mr. Harper (that’s him to the right), he also seems to suffer from Tin Ear Syndrome. Of course, the sudden appearance of his former advisor may not be the only reason public funds will be used to pay for Gardasil. What else might there be, Mr. Harper? Do you have other ties to Merck?

Full story in The Ottawa Citizen.[tags]Conflict Of Interest, Gardasil, Hill & Knowlton, HPV, Merck[/tags]