In an expected win for Merck, the FDA has approved Gardasil as a vaccine against cervical cancer and genital warts caused by the human papilloma virus. Merck has already caused some controversy with its price for Gardasil. At $360 for a three-shot course, Gardasil will immediately join the list of some of the most expensive drugs on the market. Health officials are expected to make Gardasil a recommended therapy for all 11 and 12-year-old girls, a big market that may be somewhat inhibited by religious conservatives who have objected to the vaccine due to their beliefs that it would encourage promiscuity. The vaccine protects females from 70 percent of all cervical cancers, provided it is administered before they are exposed to the virus. Cervical cancer is the second-leading cause of death among women around the world.
- here's the article on Gardasil from The New York Times