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FDA panel: Gardasil okay for boys, too
Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine approved for females, may soon be approved for males as well.
Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine approved for females, may soon be approved for males as well.
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel gave its thumbs up for broadening the HPV recommendation, from girls and women age 9 to 26 to include boys and men 9 to 26 as well. This isn’t an approval but it’s close: FDA usually agrees with its advisory committees.
The HPV vaccine of Merck’s is touted as an ersatz cervical cancer vaccine, since eliminating HPV (technically four strains of the virus) plummets the chances of a woman having cervical cancer. It’s become controversial due to a push to immunize girls before they become sexually active (and thus susceptible to HPV): immunizing them, a few critics say, is akin to giving them permission for intercourse.
Most all girls and women who contract HPV do so via sexual contact with a male. Reducing that risk could enlarge the herd immunity effect against HPV. That wasn’t a benefit under consideration, though: the advisory committee stuck with primary benefits to the male immunizees. These include a lowered risk (89% effective) of genital warts, and a lowering of the already low chances for penile or anal cancer.
The benefits of concurrent fetal and maternal heart rate monitoring
April 17th 2024A recent study revealed that employing maternal heart rate monitoring alongside fetal heart rate monitoring during labor significantly decreases the incidence of neonatal encephalopathy and severe neonatal acidemia.
Having "the talk" with teen patients
June 17th 2022A visit with a pediatric clinician is an ideal time to ensure that a teenager knows the correct information, has the opportunity to make certain contraceptive choices, and instill the knowledge that the pediatric office is a safe place to come for help.
Identifying benign lesions in female patients by new algorithm
October 6th 2023In this Q+A interview originally conducted by our sister publication, Contemporary OB/GYN, Peter Minneci, MD, MHSc, discusses a study evaluating a new algorithm capable of accurately identifying benign lesions in female patients.
