U.S. Considers Approving Cervical Cancer Vaccine For Older Women

March 21, 2008 8:33 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The United States Food and Drug Administration is considering approving the cervical cancer vaccine for older women, and cutting the original allotted time for approval to four months.

Gardasil, produced by Merck & Co., has received approval for women with ages 9 to 26, has been known to stop four strains of sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, identified to cause genital warts and cervical cancer in later years of the carrier.

Cervical cancer is known to be the cause of death of an average of 250,000 women in a year. Women are advised to get vaccinated before becoming sexually active, and once the drug receives approval about 40 of women in the age bracket can be vaccinated by 2012.