A Merck Vaccine, Gardasil, Is Approved for New Uses

A News & Events entry posted on October 21, 2009

Merck, the drug maker, said Friday that federal regulators had cleared its vaccine Gardasil to prevent genital warts in boys and younger men, a new use for a product already approved to prevent cervical cancer in women. The company, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., said the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil for use in boys and men from 9 to 26. Gardasil already is approved for use by women to block four strains of the human papillomavirus that cause the majority of cervical cancers and genital warts. Merck has sold about 50 million doses worldwide, with more than $1.4 billion in revenue last year.