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HPV Vaccine Gardasil OK'd for Boys
Oct. 16, 2009 -- The FDA has approved the vaccine Gardasil to help prevent genital warts in boys and young men.
Gardasil is now approved for males ages 9 to 26 for the prevention of genital warts caused by two human papillomavirus (HPV) strains: HPV 6 and HPV 11.Those are two of the four HPV strains that Gardasil targets.
In September, an FDA advisory panel recommended Gardasil's approval to prevent genital warts in boys and young men. The vaccine wasn't up for consideration to help prevent cancer in males or to curb transmission of the HPV virus, which is sexually transmitted, to women.
Gardasil is not yet on the CDC's schedule of recommended vaccines for males. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will discuss that possibility at a meeting next week.
Gardasil, which is made by the drug company Merck, already has FDA approval for use in girls and young women ages 9 to 26. In females, HPV can cause cervical cancer.
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A DNA test to check for the human papillomavirus (HPV) could mean a major decrease in cervical cancer.
