If Not Evidence—Then What? Merck Lobbying, Vioxx, and the “Revolving Door” (Tomljenović)

Donate : 🙏 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/slobodnipoI Here Tomljenović asks the uncomfortable political question: if HPV policy isn’t driven by clean evidence, what is driving it? She points to reports and commentary describing industry lobbying for school-entry HPV mandates (including claims that Merck helped shape legislation), and she links this to a broader pattern she associates with pharma influence and regulatory failure — invoking the Vioxx scandal as a cautionary example of how “approved” can later become “catastrophic.” She also raises the “revolving door” problem: regulators moving into pharma leadership roles (and vice-versa), plus conflicts-of-interest concerns inside agencies and advisory structures. Whether you agree with her interpretation or not, the clip is a clear argument about incentives, capture, and why trust should be earned with transparency — not demanded. Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJTy3oXCzHShsVuJ-zfiGnx96nuR-BNWB WEB: https://slobodnipodcast.hr/?p=1402