Adults Up to Age 45 Can Now Get the HPV Vaccine

Adults up to age 45 can now be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), reducing their chances of getting cervical, oral and other cancers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday that Gardasil 9, a vaccine that works against nine different types of HPV, is now approved for both men and women between the ages of 27 and 45. Previously, it was approved only for those between the ages of nine and 26, and recommended for all children at age 11 or 12. “Today’s approval represents an important opportunity to help prevent HPV-related diseases and cancers in a broader age range,” Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. ”The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that HPV vaccination prior to becoming infected with the HPV types covered by the vaccine has the potential to prevent more than 90% of these cancers,” — including cervical, oral, penile and colorectal disease — “or 31,200 cases every year, from ever developing.” The FDA opted to expand the age range after testing the first iteration of the HPV vaccine, which was approved in 2006, in more than 3,000 women between the ages of 27 and 45. Over an average of 3.5 years of follow-up, the vaccine proved to be 88% effective in preventing persistent HPV infection, as well as genital warts, precancerous legions and cervical cancers associated with the virus. The FDA also...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthytime onetime public health Source Type: news