Cervical Cancer Vaccine Protects Men From Wart Virus
(Washington, DC) -- Drugmaker Merck says its Gardasil vaccine used to protect women from cervical cancer caused by a wart virus may also benefit men. Researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida found the vaccine was 90-percent effective in preventing lesions, mostly sexually transmitted warts, caused by the virus in men. The team led by Anna Giuliano tested over four-thousand men between the ages of 16 to 26 and gave them either vaccine or a placebo and checked them every six months. They found it's likely the vaccine must be given before a person is ever infected with human Papilloma virus, or HPV, to be effective.
Merck's Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix are only approved for use in girls and women. However, new markets are being sought by the companies. Some experts say the market should include boys and men, to protect them and their future sexual partners. |