CDC Says One In Four Girls Received Gardasil Last Year
October 9th, 2008 | by admin |
The Cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil manufactured by Merck was given to more than a quarter million US teen girls last year, according to a new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Merck poured more than 100 million dollars into an advertising campaign for their blockbuster drug last year and it has definitely paid off.
Gardasil is a revolutionary drug in the fight against cervical cancer, as it protects girls against 4 types of HPVs which are known to be associated with cervical cancer.
This is the first study to really take a look at the vaccination rate of the drug, and it turns out that approximately 1 in every 4 teen girls living in the US received the 3-shot vaccine.
The only drawback against the vaccine, is the fact that it must be administered to young girls before they enter into puberty, a fact that many parents are not too happy about.
The vaccine is currently approved for use in girls between 9 and 25 years of age.
The FDA recently denied an application from Merck to expand the age restriction for the vaccine to women between 27 and 45.
Merck have released a statement to the effect that they are happy with the findings from the report.
