[NPInfo] Gardasil showing broader protection for HPV then expected

[GRETAOB at aol.com]

    "Wider Shield Found in Cancer Vaccine"  
Boston Globe (09/20/07)  
New research shows that Gardasil's protection against  cervical cancer 
strains is broader than expected. In addition to blocking  the four types of human 
papillomavirus (HPV) infections targeted by the  vaccine, Gardasil also 
partially blocks infection by 10 other strains.  Merck says the wider shield means 
that Gardasil offers protection against  almost 90 percent of strains that cause 
HPV. For the three most common  forms of HPV strains in North America, new 
data found that Gardasil  lowered the contraction of precancerous lesions caused 
by HPV by almost  two-thirds. "There's the potential for an additional 30,000 
to 40,000  cancer cases being prevented each year," mostly in developing 
countries,  based on preliminary estimates and widespread vaccination in those  
regions, says Dr. Eliav Barr, head of Merck's research on infectious  disease 
and  vaccines.



************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com