Merck and Sanofi-Aventis on Monday announced that
Switzerland has recommended that girls ages 11 to 14 in the country receive
Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, Reuters reports (Reuters,
6/18).
Gardasil in clinical trials has been shown to be 100% effective in
preventing infection with strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70%
of cervical cancer cases, and about 99% effective in preventing HPV strains
6 and 11, which together with HPV strains 16 and 18 cause about 90% of
genital wart cases among women not already infected with these strains
(Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/18).
Gardasil has been approved in 76 countries worldwide -- including Australia,
Canada, the European Union and the U.S. According to Reuters, the Swiss
decision follows similar recommendations in Austria, Belgium, France,
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Norway. The United Kingdom's Joint Committee
on Vaccination and Immunisation on Wednesday is scheduled to decide whether
to recommend Gardasil, a spokesperson from the country's Department of
Health said (Reuters, 6/18). Sanofi Pasteur, a joint company of Merck and
Sanofi-Aventis, is funding a campaign advocating for European governments to
vaccinate young girls with Gardasil (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy
Report, 3/27).
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