MRK Gardasil 9 Approved By FDA to Fight Cancer-Causing HPV
US Food and Drug administration on Tuesday approved Gardasil 9, a new vaccine that can protect against 90 % cancer causing Human Papillomaviruses (HPV).
According to NBC News, the vaccine developed by drug maker Merck & Co, is an upgraded version of existing Gardasil vaccine which currently protects against four strains of HPV. The new vaccine can protect against nine strains of the virus, the additional strains HPV 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 which are attributed to 20 % of cancers caused by the virus.
"Gardasil 9 is a vaccine approved for use in females ages 9 through 26 and males ages 9 through 15. It is approved for the prevention of cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58, and for the prevention of genital warts caused by HPV types 6 or 11," FDA said in a news release.
The agency approved the vaccine after a controlled study involving 14,000 women aged 16 through 26 were given Gardasil 9 or Gardasil. The new vaccine showed it was 97 % effective in combating additional HPV variants besides offering the same level of protecting against the shared strains.
"The approval of Gardasil 9 provides broader protection against HPV-related cancers," said Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Huffington Post reported that HPV, including cancer causing variants, affect nearly all men and women during lifetime without causing any serious harm in most cases.
Further, Fox News referred to a study done by CDC last year which showed only a third of teenage girls received the prescribed three shots of the vaccine, recommended for all girls aged nine to 26.
