MERCK RENEGES ON MMR PROMISE

Here we go again. On Christmas Eve 2008, vaccine maker Merck quietly announced that they would stop making the separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Parents were outraged and sent thousands of letters to Merck demanding that they resume the monovalent shots. Merck capitulated.

Or so we thought. It was announced on Thursday, to thunderous applause at a meeting of the CDC's advisory committee, that Merck will discontinue production of the individual vaccines.

Yes, applause. Does this decision seem remotely applause-worthy?

If you want the full background, click HERE. Making MMR is like a bag of M&Ms. To make multi-colored M&Ms, you make the individual red, green, brown, and yellow candies and then you add them together. To make combination MMR, you start with the individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and then you add them together. It doesn't get much simpler than that. There's clearly market demand. Merck is in the business of making money (oh boy are they ever). And so why wouldn't they continue making these shots? Unless of course there's something else going on.

Lots of stressed out parents are in the midst of having their children vaccinated separately for these three diseases. Without warning, and without any justifiable rationale, Merck abruptly stops making the separate shots, leaving parents and their doctors in the lurch. Whether you believe in vaccination, it's a pretty straightforward argument that companies are accountable to the markets they serve. There's an expectation of respect, decency and reciprocity. Their arrogance speaks volumes.