08 June 2006

Ah, so this is why

I'd been wondering what was prompting the inundation of the airwaves with Merck's "HPV can cause cervical cancer" PSA, but now I know. Today, the FDA announced its approval of Merck's cervical cancer vaccine. Calling it a 'cervical cancer vaccine' seems a little misleading to me, but obviously that sounds better than calling it a vaccine for 4 of 10 strains of HPV known to cause cervical cancer.
For it to be effective, it needs to be given before a person becomes sexually active.

That means preteens would be the ideal candidates for the vaccine.
Elsewhere, I read that: The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil for girls and women aged nine to 26. The FDA said a study in older women was continuing... which means that for now, nothing has changed for me (or nearly all the women I know) except that I've been lumped into the category of "older women" for the first time.

Still, it's progress, and in women's health, no less, so I applaud the scientists behind the vaccine Gardasil.

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5 comments:

  1. Dang. That means I'm old, too.

    I knew that passing thirty was gonna start causing problems...

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  2. I've been wondering why we'd never been told this before! Now it makes sense. ($$$)

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  3. SJ: exactly. They actually mentioned it in a West Wing episode a couple years ago (the one where Elmo and Big Bird visit the White House: Eppur Si Muove, I think)

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  4. I am glad of the additional publicity too... and still am very annoyed at how blatantly mercenary the effort is. The fact that this information could have come out anytime in the past twenty years and is only just now making a big splash is proof enough for me.

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  5. Kimm: know just what you mean.

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