Merck & Co., Inc.'s Gardasil Vaccine Wins U.S. Panel Backing for Routine Use in Boys

Merck & Co.’s Gardasil vaccine, used to protect girls from a virus that causes cervical cancer, should also be given to 11- or 12-year-old boys to reduce transmission of the infection, a U.S. advisory panel said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization committee recommended routine vaccinations for boys to protect against cancers related to human papillomavirus, or HPV, the Atlanta-based agency said today in an e-mail. Gardasil aims to prevent sexually transmitted infections that can lead to cervical cancer, genital warts, head and neck tumors and malignancies of the penis and anus in men. Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, won U.S. approval for the vaccine in 2006 for female patients ages 9 to 26; it was cleared for males in that age group in 2009. The shot generated $988 million in revenue in 2010, according to company filings.

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