According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gardasil, the vaccination for HPV does not result in anything adverse as stipulated by the ongoing controversy and is safe and effective. With the help of the available information, the FDA and CDC have conducted studies to determine the fact that Gardasil prevents four types of HPV and is quite safe for use.
A post marketing safety study and data and reports pointing at adverse events were compared and studied before arriving at the decision by the panel of CDC. Study was conducted over at least 375,000 women and girls in between 9 and 26 years of age who were administered the dosage of vaccine spanning from 20th August 2006 to 20th July 2008. August 2006 was when Gardasil received approval.
Adverse events numbering 10,326 were reported as of August 31st in America and a large percentage of it is not serious. Six percent was serious including blood clots, Guillan-Barre Syndrome and in extreme cases even death. Cause of deaths numbering 27 is under evaluation.
Merck is happy with CDC’s review and conclusion as the company had seen a steep fall of at least 4% in its sale of Gardasil due to the ongoing debate on its effectiveness and safety. Last year saw Judicial Watch, a conservative group harping on a report which showed side effects of this vaccine including various adverse reactions and even deaths.
This vaccine is found to be most effective for girls and women aged between 9 and 26 and come at a cost of $360 for three doses.
