Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
May 17--The fate of a powerful new vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer - which kills about 4,000 U.S. women each year - will be debated tomorrow by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel.
While FDA approval of the vaccine, Gardasil, might seem to be a slam dunk, the maker, Merck & Co., has been busy assuaging Christian conservative concerns that it could encourage promiscuity.
Merck spokeswoman Kelly Dougherty said meetings with conservative groups have helped quell those concerns.
"There seems to be a universal level of acceptance at this point," Dougherty said.
Gardasil protects against about 70 percent of cervical cancers caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, HPV. It does not directly prevent cervical cancer but thwarts HPV.
Linda Klepacki, a sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, said the group supports Gardasil but does not want it to be mandatory. An advisory committee of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta recommends which vaccines should be used but individual states decide which are required.
"Our overall statement is that we're very pleased with the vaccine," Klepacki said.
Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy for the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., said his group has met with both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, which expects to submit its own cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, to the FDA by the end of this year.
"We think it [Gardasil] holds the potential for improving the health and preserving the lives of thousands of women," Sprigg said.
But Sprigg said Merck must make teenagers aware Gardasil does not protect against all sexually transmitted diseases. He said parents and not the government should decide whether their daughters receive it.
"The parents' right to transmit their values to their children is very important," Sprigg said.
Cervical cancer causes about 273,500 deaths annually worldwide.
Gardasil protects against two HPV strains and 90 percent of genital warts. FDA approval could mean a blockbuster drug for Merck, struggling lately under the weight of costly Vioxx litigation.
-----
Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
NYSE:MRK, NYSE:GSK,
