HPV legislation in Arkansas

Women in Government Ratings

Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" :

POPULATION: 2,810,872

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 9.8/100,000 (1/ 1)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 10.0 , Black: 10.5
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.6/100,000 (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 3.3 , Black: 6.5

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 80.5% (0 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 81.8%, Black: 83.8%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 28.7% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 24% (0 / 0)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 42%

Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 0)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 2)

• There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (1 / 1)

• SB 954 would have required the Div. of Health to provide vaccination against HPV to girls 12 and older. The bill was withdrawn.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 2)

• There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

• State health officials had hoped to receive $4 million from the Legislature to make the HPV vaccine available to 10,000 girls and teens, but money was not available.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Fair (10 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Good (10 out of 18 points)

Articles and resources

SourceWatch Resources

• Gardasil
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Merck
• Women in Government
• Edelman
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Australia
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Canada
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Europe
• The Marketing of Gardasil in New Zealand
• The Marketing of Gardasil in the United States
• Direct-to-consumer advertising
• Disease Mongering
• Drug industry

External links

• Judith Siers-Poisson, The Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer, a four part series, PRWatch.org, July, 2007.