Gardasil… Now Playing At A Theater Near You
4 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // June 2nd, 2008 // 2:10 pm
What a difference a year makes. Last year, Merck was under fire for aggressively promoting its HPV vaccine by convincing lawmakers, such as the governor of Texas and legislators who belong to Women In Government, to get behind mandatory vaccination. The heavy-handed effort backfired, briefly obscuring a meaningful discussion of health benefits and sullying the drugmaker’s reputation.
And so Merck scaled back its more visible lobbying, although Gardasil ads continued to run. Now, the drugmaker is getting aggressive again - especially with consumers. Starting this past Saturday and running through June 26, Gardasil ads are appearing in theaters showing ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Get Smart,’ ‘The Happening,’ ‘You Don’t Mess With The Zohan,’ and some others.
“We purchased advertised space that is relevant for our older female target audiences, specifically for the summer movies that are relevant to those aged 19 through 26,” a Merck spokeswoman writes us. Of course, plenty of teenagers will be seeing some of these flicks, too. Zohan and Get Smart are rated PG-13. And Sex and The Happening are rated R, but the restrictions apply for kids under 17, some of whom will, no doubt, see them anyway. How many teenagers do you know don’t sneak into an R film?
Of course, Gardasil is approved for children 9 years old and older, but we wonder if the movie ads will rekindle the debate over abstinence versus vaccination. (Then again, those parents aren’t letting their kids watch ‘Sex in the City, either). In any event, Gardasil is unlikely to be available as a value pack that includes soda and popcorn. But we are curious to know whether the Gardasil beach towel is about to make a comeback.
Paul
I really don’t have a problem with this.
At some point, we have to accept that these are OK based on:
- Like it or not, they do serve to educate people on something that otherwise they would not know about
- From what I read, this vaccine is effective and, since it is meant for people at risk but otherwise healthy, why not let people know about it?
- There seem to be lots of safeguards with the FDA and DDMAC to ensure the information is complete and balanced
- And finally, last time I checked, we still live under the first amendment to the constitution that permits free speech.
Although caution is warranted, I think this is fine.
david egilman
The target is virgins. Sexually active women are already exposed & diseased or immune.
So older women are not candidates unless they and their sexual contacts are virgins or practiced monogomy. Oh ya when I say virgins I mean kissing & oral sex too.
Not a large number of sex in the city movies goers I bet.
Bob
Who says the target is virgins? The vaccine is for all females aged 9-26, regardless of sexual activity. Just because someone might have one type of HPV doesn’t mean that they have the other three types the vaccine prevents. It is best when the patient is a virgin, but then again, if they are having sex (of any kind), then they are at an increased risk and, therefore, should DEFINITELY get vaccinated.
Therefore, according to the previous post, “Sex in the City” movie goers are very much candidates.
-Seek Truth
Lisa Van S
Bob,
Are you an individual who believes in vaccine mandates?