Merck cancer vaccine to get priority FDA review

Merck & Co. Inc. announced today that Gardasil, a vaccine against a virus linked to cervical cancer, has been targeted for priority review by the FDA.

Gardasil already is on the market for those age 9 through 26, to guard against cervical cancer. If the FDA gave its approval, the drug would be available for use by women up to age 45.

The drug would be used in the prevention of cervical cancer, precancerous or dysplastic lesions, and genital warts caused human papilloma virus.

The vaccine is given by injection in three stages over a six-month period.

In the United States, about 6.2 million men and women become infected with HPV every year and approximately 20 million people are currently infected, Merck said in a news release. For most people, HPV goes away on its own; however, certain high-risk types of HPV, if unrecognized and untreated, can lead to cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide, resulting in nearly a half-million diagnoses and 280,000 deaths each year, Merck's news release said. In 2007, there were an estimated 11,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,600 deaths in the United States, the company said.

Merck was trading on the New York Stock Exchange at $43.75, up 56 cents.