Gardasil Approved for Additional Types of HPV

The Gardasil 9 vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat five additional types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that can lead to several forms of cancer, including that of the cervix, the FDA said Wednesday.

The approval covers females ages 9 through 26 and males ages 9 through 15, the agency said in a news release. The additional types of HPV -- 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 -- cause about 20 percent of cervical cancers and weren't covered by prior approvals of Gardasil.

HPV also can lead to vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers, and genital warts. Prior Gardasil approvals covered HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 68, the FDA said.

Gardasil 9 is given as three separate shots within six months. The most common side effects reported during clinical evaluation included injection-site pain, swelling, redness and headache.

The vaccine is manufactured by Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J.

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