Gardasil 9 Offers Broader Protection, a Global Study Reports

The vaccine that fights 9 strains of human papillomavirus offered greater cancer protection for women than the earlier one that targets only 4, researchers reported Wednesday.

A multinational study involving thousands of women found that Merck’s Gardasil 9 worked as well as the original Gardasil at preventing infections caused by HPV-16 and HPV-18. Together, these strains are responsible for 70% of all cases of cervical cancer.

Gardasil 9 also prevented infections due to HPV strains 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. That translates into protection against 85% to 90% of HPV-related cancers, according to the study.

Link to the complete article in the LA Times:

http://lat.ms/1E8VMe5