[TheBagman]

Cervical cancer vaccine gets OK

By Andrew Bridges
Associated Press
Published June 9, 2006


WASHINGTON -- Women for the first time have a vaccine to protect themselves against cervical cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday licensed the vaccine, Gardasil, for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26. The vaccine works by preventing infection by four of the dozens of strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease.

By age 50, some 80 percent of women have been infected.

Gardasil protects against the two types of HPV responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The vaccine also blocks infection by two other strains responsible for 90 percent of genital wart cases. The vaccine will be available by the end of the month, with a three-shot series costing $360. Its manufacturer is Merck & Co. Inc.

Each year, cervical cancer kills an estimated 240,000 women worldwide, including 3,700 in the United States.

"FDA approval of the HPV vaccine, the first vaccine targeted specifically to preventing cancer, is one of the most important advances in women's health in recent years," said Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, president of the American Cancer Society. A vaccine developed for hepatitis B has been shown to protect against liver cancer.

Clinical trials showed Gardasil prevented 100 percent of cervical cancer related to the two HPV strains in women who had not been previously infected, Merck said. It also prevented 99 percent of the cases of genital warts caused by the two other strains.

Gardasil works best when given to girls before they begin having sex and run the risk of HPV infection. The vaccine does not protect women already infected.

Merck intends to market Gardasil as a cancer, rather than a STD, vaccine. Its cost, along with conservative opposition to making the vaccine mandatory for school attendance, may curb its widespread use.

The national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will decide June 29 whether to endorse routine vaccination with Gardasil. That endorsement is critical if a vaccine is to become a standard of care.

It then will be up to individual states to decide whether to add the vaccine to the list of others required before students may attend public schools.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ck=1&cset=true

[TheBagman]

Boortz's commentary on the religious zealots that oppose this vaccine.

FDA APPROVES CANCER VACCINE

This one is designed to prevent cervical cancer, a huge killer. It can also block infections by viruses that cause genital warts. This particular virus is spread by skin-to-skin contact. It's called the human papillomavirus, and it's the most common sexually transmitted infection in our country ... and there's the rub (so to speak). The FDA is approving this drug, Gardasil, over the objections of some religious zealots who believe that if there's a vaccine that guards against a sexually transmitted disease, it will cause more people to have sex. Well, isn't that just all warm and touchy-feely? Don't you just love the idea that we have people out there who want to punish sexual conduct with disease, possibly even cancer?

www.boortz.com

[daiseyduked]

great, i'm too old for the vaccine...

[elroypornlab]

Still sounds like a good thing for everyone. Even pretty girls can have herpies!

[AnnonUSA]

Originally Posted by da420

The FDA is approving this drug, Gardasil, over the objections of some religious zealots who believe that if there's a vaccine that guards against a sexually transmitted disease, it will cause more people to have sex. Well, isn't that just all warm and touchy-feely? Don't you just love the idea that we have people out there who want to punish sexual conduct with disease, possibly even cancer?

Religious Asshats.....

[TheBagman]

Originally Posted by AnnonUSA

Religious Asshats.....

Most definately.