FDA Approves Gardasil For Men

Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, which protects inoculated subjects from the human papillomavirus, or genital warts, was approved for use in males by the FDA today, three years after its approval for use in females, though it’s unclear whether or not the CDC will recommend it to be routinely applied among boys. Unlike women, who have a higher risk for cervical cancer if they get HPV, men are at no direct, life-threatening risk from the disease, and only about 1 percent of sexually active U.S. males contract it. Even so, some have argued that vaccinating boys would help prevent the disease’s spread, thereby helping prevent cervical cancer in women. Merck would stand to add as much as $20 million in sales, thanks to use among men: A Harvard study found that vaccinating boys wasn’t cost-effective, but another study sponsored by Merck contradicted those findings. Controversy over the drug remains, in part because of the pharmaceutical company’s aggressive lobbying on its behalf. The CDC is expected to debate the matter next week.