Cervical Cancer Vaccine Approved for Men to Prevent Genital Warts

Washington, DC (AHN) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine given to women to prevent cervical cancer for use in men and boys to prevent genital warts.

The drug, Gardasil, is already approved for women ages 9 through 26 to prevent cervical, vuvlar and vaginal cancer caused by the human papillomavirus and genital warts. The agency on Oct. 16 approved it for men in the same age group.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States and most genital warts are caused by the virus, the FDA said in a statement. About 2 out of every 1,000 men in the United States are newly diagnosed with genital warts every year, according to the FDA.

The agency said that Gardasil was almost 90 percent effective in preventing warts caused by HPV.

For more information, go to www.FDA.gov.

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