ACIP In Brief

Gardasil catches catch-up population: Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil should be administered to females 13 to 26 years of age as part of a catch-up program and to girls ages 11 and 12 as a routine vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimously agreed June 29 in Atlanta. Published estimates of cost-effectiveness ratios for vaccination of 12-year-old females range from $14,600 to $24,300 per quality adjusted life-year. Panel members supported use of the quadrivalent vaccine in "special situations" for females that would normally not be vaccinated, including those with abnormal pap tests, genital warts, positive HPV tests, immunosuppression and who are lactating. The committee agreed that women found to be pregnant after receiving the initial dose of vaccination should delay completion of series until after pregnancy. Gardasil cleared FDA June 8 for prevention of cervical cancer and pre-cancers (1"The Pink Sheet" June 12, 2006, p. 3)...