Hereos in Medicine

On January 9, 2007 a momentous telephone interview was conducted with Dr. A. Bennett Jenson, who many believe is in line to become a future Nobel Prize Winner. Dr. Jenson, a medical researcher at the Brown Cancer Center in Louisville-with his fellow researcher, Dr. Shin Ghim developed the vaccine which if administered to young women will prevent the deadly, disabling and disfiguring cancer of the cervix.

Several points were evident in this interview: 1st Dr. Jenson is a medical researcher, and although he may have ideas about the policy implications of his vaccine, he spent 17 years in serious research developing it, he is leaving policy decision to others.

Next, the day may come when this vaccine will be administered routinely to everyone-like the baby shots required before entering school.

And last, this vaccine is only the tip of the iceberg. Medical researchers are already investigating giving it to older women and to men. The success of Jenson and Ghim’s research is fueling further areas of investigation into medical treatments and prevention. Thus we should remember these important members of the medical team, those in research, who often are forgotten. It’s these scientists, researchers who are adding years to our lives. They are the important, though often neglected and inadequately  acknowledged heroes in medicine.

The following is the interview conducted with Dr. Jenson:

Dr. Aaron: Dr. Jenson, thank you for talking with me. We have a mutual friend, Dr. Damien Laber, who speaks highly of you.

Dr. Jenson: Yes.

Dr. Aaron: He was telling me how nice you are. We’re doing a story on the vaccine. We just had a few questions. I know you’re busy and I appreciate your spending some time with us. As we’ve read, there haven’t been many contraindications or side effects from the vaccine, have there?        

Dr. Jenson: No, there haven’t. The only complication I know of is that there appears to be some burning, maybe some allergic reaction sometimes. No more than the other vaccines. But certainly has been a relatively complication-free vaccine that is 100% effective.

Dr. Aaron: Well, that’s wonderful. Because we all know in our practices, we’ve all seen women who’ve had unnecessary hysterectomies that this will prevent.

Dr. Jenson: Yes, I think that’s one of the long-term benefits of the vaccine, for sure.

Dr. Aaron: You and Dr. Ghim have been researching this area for 17 years?

Dr. Jenson: Since 1989.

Dr. Aaron: Is this the only vaccine you’ve developed that’s commercially available right now?

Dr. Jenson: It’s the vaccine that’s been licensed by the company, has gone through the phase trials, and has been approved by the FDA and the recommendations have been very strongly approved by the Center for Disease Control. We’re always working on a better product.

Dr. Aaron: We understand that in Australia the vaccine is compulsory. Everybody gets the vaccine, all the young women. Were you aware of that?

Dr. Jenson: I was aware of that. I think Michigan has a compulsory vaccine. I’m not surprised that Australia does. I’m not surprised that it is compulsory and I think it’s to the credit of the state legislature that they have recognized the importance of the cancer vaccine.

Dr. Aaron: We’re on the western tip of  Appalachia, kind of in a poorer part of the state and we’re putting together a program in which we want everybody to be able to qualify for the vaccine. We expect, as it becomes more widespread and over time, that the price of the vaccine will probably come down.

Dr. Jenson: I certainly hope so. That’s the only problem that I see, right now, with the vaccine. The price of it. I think the price will go down, although there seems to be negotiation between Merck and the state governments and different HMOs and third party payers. It seems to be more and more of a desire or will from both sides regarding the compensation as it’s proven to be effective.

Dr. Aaron: One of your OB-GYN physicians in Louisville, Dr. Gall, who has positions in his national medical organization, has said that he is actually giving the vaccine to older women in addition to the younger ones. And we’ve read in the literature that there’s an interest among some researchers to even vaccinate men. But that’s down the road though, isn’t it?

Dr. Jenson: I think, right now, that Merck is working very hard on officially extending the ages for the vaccine to women and they do have a program that they hope will end up with men being vaccinated. Men should be vaccinated. It was recommended this summer by the advisory commission, that it be routinely given to girls between 11 and 12. The recommendation also stated it could be given as early as 9 and go up to 26 years of age. There’s also a sort of “need to give” status that can circumvent these recommendations, but it’s not something that’s been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the CDC.

Dr. Aaron: We’re especially proud of you and Dr. Ghim because of what you’ve done at Brown Cancer Center. We have one of the Brown Cancer Centers close to us here in Taylor County, which we use. It is a great service to have this Center available to our patients.

Dr. Jenson: That’s wonderful! I really appreciate your kind comments.

Dr. Aaron: We know you’re busy, but this was such an advance and we’re so proud of the research you’ve done and that it has been made a clinical application so we can use it. If you have anything else you’d like to say, please do so. Otherwise, I promised that would keep this short and we’re not going to ask anymore questions.

Dr. Jenson: All I can say is that if it were up to me, I’d vaccinate every woman.

Dr. Aaron: That’s probably a good suggestion. You have a great day and thank you for talking with us.

Dr. Jenson: Thank you.