Lobbying for Vaccine to Be Halted

ANDREW POLLACK and STEPHANIE SAUL - Reacting to a furor from some parents, advocacy groups and public
health experts, Merck said yesterday that it would stop lobbying state
legislatures to require the use of its new cervical cancer vaccine.
The company said it made the decision after realizing that
its lobbying campaign had fueled objections across the country that
could undermine adoption of the vaccine.

At least 20 states are considering making its use mandatory
for schoolgirls, and the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has already
done so by executive order. Part of the states’ rush to embrace the
vaccine has been instigated by Merck efforts that began before federal
regulators approved the product last year.............Merck acknowledged that opinion yesterday, saying it would stop
lobbying specifically for state mandates, many of which would require
girls to be vaccinated before they entered sixth grade.