Merck Says CDC Committee Recommends HPV Vaccine for Men and Women Through 26
June 26 2019 - 06:40PM
Dow Jones News
By Patrick Thomas
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Wednesday to recommend
HPV vaccines for women and men through the age of 26, according to
a statement from Merck & Co. Inc.
HPV vaccinations had been recommended for women through age 26
and men through age 21. The CDC recommends routine vaccinations of
women and men at the ages of 11 and 12, according to its
website.
On Wednesday the committee voted to equalize the age
recommendations. The advisory committee also voted to recommend, on
shared clinical decision making between patients and doctors, HPV
vaccination for individuals between the ages of 27 and 45 who
aren't adequately vaccinated, according to Merck.
Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with some
type of HPV, according to the CDC's website. The HPV virus is so
common that nearly all men and women contract it at some point in
their lives, the CDC says.
In a statement, Merck applauded the committee's decision. The
drugmaker's Gardasil 9 is used for HPV vaccines. "The nine types of
HPV covered in GARDASIL 9 cause the majority of HPV-related cancers
and other diseases in women and men," Merck said.
Merck said that the provisional recommendations need to be
reviewed by the director of the CDC and the Department of Health
and Human Services.
Write to Patrick Thomas at patrick.thomas@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 26, 2019 18:25 ET (22:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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