Apparently, the inability of the Government, or Gardasil's manufacturer CSL to proceed with a full-on advertising campaign to promote Gardasil, is considered by the Herald to be an "attack on Democracy". Incredible. Mike Taylor of CSL biotherapies says “that there is a certain amount of risk" in the CSL planned advertising campaign. You bet there is, when huge sums money are involved. Most of CSL's planned propaganda, using newspapers, magazines, TV and radio advertisements has been deferred in case it is said to support the Government's pre-election campaign. That's what the Herald would like you to think. But there is another, more important story here. The failure of the Herald to discuss the real issues isn’t so much an attack on democracy, as an attack on readers and taxpayers. Read Full Blog
Hilary's Desk
NZ 2008 schedule - Marketing Multiple vaccines
Have you noticed a subtle shift away from defining a vaccine by initials which stand for the number of vaccine components being given in the one needle? When you see GARDASIL, do you mentally realise that GARDASIL stands for Quadrivalent HPV vaccine, i.e. four different viruses in one needle? When you see the title PREVENAR, do you realise that that is seven vaccines in one? Read Full Blog
Dr Offit versus Dr Poling
In a previous blog, I mentioned the fact that in the interview with Kathryn Ryan, Dr Paul Offit dismissed Hannah Poling's autism following the administration of multiple vaccines as irrelevant. He did so, by the fallacy of authority, as in the insinuation of "I'm a vaccine expert, I've looked at the issues, and they are a load of rubbish". Yet again, he's been caught with his pants down. Read Full Blog
Gardasil's Fairy Godmothers
Everyone should listen to the August 1st 2008 Nine to Noon broadcast on Gardasil, misnamed, The Gardasil Debate . Kathryn Ryan interviewed Dr Diane Harper from Dartmouth University, who conducted Merck’s Gardasil trials, and then Dr Alison Roberts, who is in charge of defending anything remotely linked to the vaccine programme. Read Full Blog
A prick too close for comfort?
A curve ball was delivered Dr Offit’s way about a week ago, when CBS television investigated the many vested interests behind various vaccine defenders. When asked to comment on the $1.5 million Merck Sponsored University chair he occupies, and what his other financial vested interests might total, Dr Offit declined to comment.