I'm a medical student and am going to be attending a conference next week about various medical issues and advances, free meal and all. All sponsored by a pharmaceutical company.

That is not scientific evidence. They're not tabloids either, mate. Sorry. You're not going to sway me into believing this vaccine can prevent cancer over annual Pap smears. I am not convinced that it has done anything to the rate of infections reported. All of it is speculation. Keep going, though. I'm getting tired of arguing with someone without any sort of clinical experience because he/she falls for the unproven claims Merck has made. The studies have been inconclusive. There isn't even scientific evidence proving that it protects patients for longer than 10 years. What's hilarious is the commercial ads being aired for gardasil. The latest one is really funny. I urge you to watch it.

I'm on the other side of the country with my nursing degree caring for patients who do not ask about the vaccination. Cervical cancer related deaths occur in women who do not get regular Pap smears. They do not occur in women who just don't get the gardasil vaccine. Let's just say there were no serious side effects reported. Would my stance be the same? Absolutely. Why? Until gardasil becomes as effective as a vaccine like small pox or tetanus, then this would be a completely different debate. If gardasil can eradicate HPV like the small pox vaccine did, then who knows? Do I foresee that happening? Absolutely not, which is why getting gardasil is POINTLESS.

/r/Drugs Thread