Merck’s Experimental HPV Vaccine Shows Promise in Late Stage Trial
Source: Nasdaq By: Peter Loftus Published: November 3, 2013 An experimental Merck & Co. vaccine appeared to provide broader protection against a cancer-causing virus than the company's Gardasil shot in clinical trials. Merck said the study results support its plan to submit the new vaccine, code-named V503, for U.S. regulatory approval by year's end, which could lead to market launch next year at the soonest. Merck expects health-care providers to eventually switch to V503 if the product receives marketing approval. Some analysts expect its annual sales could exceed $1 billion. "The case for using V503 is even stronger than the case for using Gardasil, which was already strong," said Roger Perlmutter, head of Merck's research and development unit. Dr. Perlmutter has singled out V503 as one of the programs Merck will focus on as it overhauls its R&D unit in a bid to recover from a series of setbacks. Gardasil, launched in 2006, was the first vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women and other less-common types of cancer in males and females. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HPV vaccination of boys and girls ages 11 and 12, though it is approved to be given to people ages 9 to 26. GlaxoSmithKline also sells an HPV vaccine called Cervarix. Gardasil is designed to protect against four strains of HPV, two of which are believed to be responsible for about 70% of all cervical [...]