Vietnam Blames Deputy Minister, DAV For Broader Vaccine Approval
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
Vietnam authorities blame a deputy minister of health and the nation's drug agency for allowing wider use of a pair of cervical cancer vaccines than generally permitted. An inspector for the Ministry of Health was ordered to look into the issue after Merck Sharp and Dohme, and GlaxoSmithKline were accused of improper lobbying to get the broader-use recommendation. The inspector said the deputy minister and the Drug Administration of Vietnam were responsible for approving Merck's Gardasil and GSK's Cervarix for women as old as 55 instead of the normal age span of 10 to 25. The deputy and DAV leaders ordered two medical councils involved to reconsider the age of users, the inspector said. (Click here for more
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Vietnam authorities blame a deputy minister of health and the nation's drug agency for allowing wider use of a pair of cervical cancer vaccines than generally permitted. An inspector for the Ministry of Health was ordered to look into the issue after Merck Sharp and Dohme, and GlaxoSmithKline were accused of improper lobbying to get the broader-use recommendation. The inspector said the deputy minister and the Drug Administration of Vietnam were responsible for approving Merck's Gardasil and GSK's Cervarix for women as old as 55 instead of the normal age span of 10 to 25. The deputy and DAV leaders ordered two medical councils involved to reconsider the age of users, the inspector said. (Click here for more) "Deputy Minister Responsible For Cancer Vaccine Approval: DAV" - Saigon Daily (Vietnam) (1/16/09) |