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Women's groups scrutinize HPV vaccine marketing

Women in this country are given the hard sell rather than the hard facts on human papillomavirus (HPV) by some healthcare providers, a legislator and women's rights activists said yesterday.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) and Taiwan Women's Link (TWL) held a press conference yesterday questioning the way that HPV vaccines are marketed in this country by some gynecology clinics.

"Some gynecologist's offices have printouts promoting the vaccines featuring misleading slogans such as `three shots protecting you for life.' This is misleading," TWL secretary-general Tsai Wan-fen (蔡宛芬) said.

"In fact the vaccine only protects against certain strains of the virus," Tsai said. "It is no replacement for regular pap smears."

Currently the only HPV vaccine on the market in this country is Gardisil, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharpe & Dohme (MSD). Gardisil is available on an out of pocket basis for approximately NT$12,000 for three doses.

A woman who only wished to be identified by her surname, Chen, recounted her experiences at the press conference. Chen discovered a promotion where tickets to see a popular singer could be picked up at selected gynecologist's offices.

When she turned up to pick up the tickets, she was given a sales pitch promoting Gardisil, she said.

Wang Je-chau (王哲超), the director of the Department of Health's (DOH) public relations office, said that it is up to women to decide whether or not the vaccines are worth it.

"There is no reason for the department to take a stance on clinics offering Gardisil for women who want to pay out of pocket -- it's their choice," Wang said. "However, in terms of the public funding of such vaccines, the DOH is taking a cautious stance and will evaluate the pros and cons carefully before making a decision."

Wang added that DOH efforts to increase the percentage of women getting regular pap smears are ongoing.
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