Merck Says CDC Committee Recommends HPV Vaccine for Men and Women Through 26

By Patrick Thomas

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Wednesday to recommend HPV vaccines for women and men through the age of 26, according to a statement from Merck & Co. Inc.

HPV vaccinations had been recommended for women through age 26 and men through age 21. The CDC recommends routine vaccinations of women and men at the ages of 11 and 12, according to its website.

On Wednesday the committee voted to equalize the age recommendations. The advisory committee also voted to recommend, on shared clinical decision making between patients and doctors, HPV vaccination for individuals between the ages of 27 and 45 who aren't adequately vaccinated, according to Merck.

Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with some type of HPV, according to the CDC's website. The HPV virus is so common that nearly all men and women contract it at some point in their lives, the CDC says.

In a statement, Merck applauded the committee's decision. The drugmaker's Gardasil 9 is used for HPV vaccines. "The nine types of HPV covered in GARDASIL 9 cause the majority of HPV-related cancers and other diseases in women and men," Merck said.

Merck said that the provisional recommendations need to be reviewed by the director of the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Write to Patrick Thomas at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 26, 2019 18:25 ET (22:25 GMT)

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