[SaneVax: According to the article below, PATH may have over-stated the cervical cancer burden in various parts of India in order to obtain permission to conduct clinical trials of HPV vaccines in India. Are they doing the same thing in other “PATH” countries? Once again, it appears we have a case of not providing the facts prior to asking for ‘informed’ consent. The problem is without adequate accurate information, there is no informed consent.]
PATH’s claim of India’s large burden of cervical cancer faulty: study
By Aarti Dhar, The Hindu
A recent study has shown that the current available data on human papillomavirus (HPV) type and cervical cancer incidence do not support the epidemiological claims made by the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) regarding India having a large burden of cervical cancer.
In April 2010, the Indian Council of Medical Research suspended research on the feasibility and safety of HPV vaccine in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat amid public concerns about its safety. The study was being done for two pharmaceutical companies by PATH and was supported by the ICMR.
The paper, published in the latest edition of the Royal Society of Medicine Journal is written by I. Mattheji and P. Brhlikova of the University of Edinburg and A.M. Pollock and Queen Mary University of London, describes cervical cancer and cancer surveillance in India and reviews the epidemiological claims made by PATH.
The PATH, a U.S.-based not-for-profit non-governmental organisation undertook post-licensing observational studies on HPV vaccines in India on coverage, acceptability, feasibility and costs of the vaccines in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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