February 17th, 2010

Gardasil could benefit gay men and older women.  Any woman who has been to her gynecologist in the past couple of years has heard of Gardasil.  This is the first FDA approved vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that is believed to be responsible for many cervical cancers.

Given to women under the age of 25, studies show that the vaccine is effective at preventing certain strains of the HPV virus.  However, just because a young woman takes the vaccine, doesn’t mean that she couldn’t develop cervical cancer.

So why would older women and gay men benefit from Gardasil?

Older women still face the risk of developing cervical cancer. A study showed that women ages 25 to 45 had an 89% effective rate of preventing certain strains of the HPV virus.

Gay men could benefit from Gardasil because the vaccine is shown to be 78% effective in preventing anal intraepithelial neoplasia, a precursor to anal cancer.

Other males aged 9 to 26 are approved for the drug to prevent genital warts, another medical condition believed to be caused by the HPV virus.

Patients should always speak with their doctors before trying a vaccine or any other drug.  A doctor should be able to answer all your questions and make you aware of all the potential side effects of any treatment before you make a decision to start.

Currently, the FDA has not approved the use of Gardasil in women aged 26 to 47, or gay men.  The FDA is currently reviewing information from the drug maker to push along the approval of use for older women.

Source:
Wall Street Journal