Gov’t Panel Unanimously recommends cervical cancer vaccine
June 30, 2006 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Cancer, Medicine, Prevention, Technology
Yesterday a federal advisory panel unanimously voted to recommend Gardasil, a new cervical cancer vaccine, to all women between the ages of 11 and 26. The vaccine protects against genital warts and cancer by preventing 4 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV).
This is great news. About 10,000 women contract cervical cancer each year in the United States and about a third of those die. It also seems like this would payoff in spades in the long-run when it comes to eliminating treatment costs and false-positive collateral costs to the health care industry.
This approval by a federal advisory board also seems to mean that the gov’t will be commited to putting $2 billion dollars behind this vaccine to get it into the segments of the population that need it most.
There are challenges to be met in rolling it out, though: it’s expensive (at $360 per treatment, it’s one of the most expensive vaccinations ever.) It’s also a 3 shot dose administered over a 6 month period, and certain religious activism groups are already rallying against it, since it prevents sexually transmitted disease.
Overall this sits well with me, though. I had an ex-girlfriend who had a false-positive cervical cancer scare and it was terrifying for her. The effect this cancer, and the fear of this cancer, has on women cuts deeply into their psyche. It attacks their sexuality and their ability to have children. Anything that can prevent that, I’m happy to announce on this site.
New York Times Article (pops)
[tags] cancer, vaccine, women’s health, sex, STD, HPV [/tags]
It’s great news, but I wonder what it is that makes the vaccine so expensive…Is it diamonds? Does it come with a fat gold chain? Oh, it’s just something that would really help out a lot of people, it’s something that lots of women NEED, so the drug company can set their own price…
I wish I had a chemistry set and could undercut those a-holes by more than half. HEY, another million dollar idea.
Sweet. I’m in on Tommy’s vaccine. Better get it finished, soon, though. I’ll be 26 in a little over a year.