Gardasil Safety: Questions and Answers
Experts Weigh In on Safety Concerns About HPV Vaccine Gardasil
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDJuly 8, 2008 -- The
vaccine Gardasil is making headlines -- but this time, it's about reported
side effects and safety concerns.
The CDC and FDA have gotten 7,802 reports of adverse events in people
who were vaccinated with Gardasil, the first cervical cancer vaccine,
between June 8, 2006, and April 30, 2008. And two lawsuits have been filed,
according to media reports, over Gardasil's safety.
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Gardasil hasn't been proven responsible for any reported adverse events.
Is Gardasil safe? And what should parents do if they're concerned about
letting their daughter get vaccinated with Gardasil?
WebMD contacted the CDC, Merck (the drug company that makes Gardasil),
and an independent expert who's closely following Gardasil for their
answers. But first, here's a quick recap of Gardasil's history.
(Have you considered giving your daughters the HPV vaccine? We're
discussing it on WebMD's Parenting: Preteens and Teenagers board.)
About Gardasil
In June 2006, Gardasil hit the market as the first cervical cancer vaccine.
Gardasil targets four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) linked to many,
but not all, cervical cancers and to genital warts.
Safety data reviewed by the FDA in approving Gardasil was based on about
11,000 people. Most side effects were mild or moderate reactions, such as
pain or tenderness at the injection site.
In January 2007, the CDC added Gardasil to its routine childhood
immunization schedule. The CDC recommended Gardasil, given in three
doses, for all girls aged 11-12 and even for girls as young as 9, with catch-up
doses for girls and women aged 13-26 who hadn't been vaccinated earlier.
More than 26 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed worldwide,
including nearly 16 million in the U.S., according to Merck, which estimates
that at least 8 million females in the U.S. have received their first dose of
Gardasil.
Reported Adverse Events
The CDC and FDA monitor adverse events reported in people who get any
vaccine, including Gardasil. All those reports go into the Vaccine Adverse
Events Reporting System (VAERS).
The 7,802 adverse events reported to VAERS for Gardasil include 15 deaths
and 31 reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a potentially paralyzing,
life-threatening condition in which the body's immune system attacks part of
the nervous system.
But the VAERS data doesn't tell the whole story, notes John Iskander, MD,
MPH, the CDC's acting director of immunization safety.
Vaccine Not to Blame?
"VAERS receives unconfirmed reports of possible side effects" that may
require further study, Iskander tells WebMD. That is, the reports don't show
whether Gardasil caused the reported problems. Publicity tends to increase
VAERS reports, and Gardasil has gotten a lot of publicity, says Iskander.
The serious reported events are about half of what's average for vaccines
overall, according to the CDC.
The CDC hasn't been able to establish Gardasil's role in 10 of the deaths
reported to VAERS; patient information wasn't available for the other five
reported deaths.
HPV