Tuesday, May 01, 2007

What's a reasonable insurer to do?

Big pharma Merck charges high price for a new vaccine against a cervical cancer virus (HPV), Gardasil. Insurers try to control the cost of the vaccine. Doctors and patients complain according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog reports that an American Medical Association Journal editor has published an opposition to mandatory Gardadil vaccines for girls and young women. While routine administration of Gardasil “undoubtedly is beneficial to the public’s health, as it is likely to reduce the incidence of cervical cancers, the rush to make HPV vaccination mandatory in school-aged girls presents ethical concerns and is likely to be counterproductive.”

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