Merck & Co.’s HPV vaccine Gardasil drove its vaccine business growth in the fourth quarter, bringing in $542 million of the unit’s about $700 million.
The results beat Wall Street expectations by nearly $90 million and made Gardasil and the newer, more expensive Gardasil 9 among a handful of top Merck MRK, +3.35% products with year-over-year growth in the latest quarter.
But Gardasil also has an ax hanging over it: a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that teenagers ages 15 and under need only two doses of the three-dose regimen.
