GARDASIL IS NOT FULLY EVALUATED FOR SAFETY

-Sault Star

09/18/2008- Analysis of four sets of documents released by the US FDA, including patent and licensing memoranda, test reports for the vaccine, and the final briefing document, 8,864 official adverse reaction reports and a transcript of Merck's May 18, 2006, meeting with the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee where the vaccine received a unanimous vote -- obtained under the US Freedom and Information Act -- shows the following:

* Gardasil is a prophylactic (medication or a treatment designed and used to prevent a disease), preventative vaccine and will not treat pre-existing HPV infection. It is not a cancer vaccine or cure.

* Gardasil is marketed as a vaccine that prevents cancer, but it ". . . has not been evaluated for the potential to cause carcinogenicity (the ability or tendency to produce cancer) or genotoxicity" (deleterious action on a cell genetic material affecting its integrity.)

* Gardasil is not 100 per cent effective against all HPVs. It is designed to protect against only four strains of human papilloma virus, even though there are more than 30 strains, including at least 15 that can cause cancer.

* While Gardasil is the most expensive vaccine ever to be recommended by the FDA, its long-term effectiveness is unknown and could be as brief as only two to three years.

* During testing, an aluminum-containing placebo was used. Aluminum can cause permanent cell damage and is a reactive placebo (it can artificially increase the appearance of safety of an experimental drug or vaccine in a clinical trial) unlike most saline placebos. This means that tests of Gardasil may not have given an accurate picture of safety levels.

* Although some states are considering making it mandatory for young girls to get the Gardasil vaccine, it has been tested only with one other vaccine commonly given to children. There are 10 commonly administered adolescent vaccines.

* Gardasil is still in the testing stages, and will not be fully evaluated for safety until September 2009. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (US) shows that as many as eighteen people have died after receiving Gardasil.

A special report released by the Judicial Watch at the end of June is available. This report has been sent to every public officer of health and subsidiary office and every member of provincial parliament.

Our provincial association, Alliance for Life Ontario, will be accumulating the data for Ontario over the next few weeks and will make that report available also. Please visit www.JudicialWatch.org