Friday, February 22, 2008

Merck - Gardasil; are the wheels falling off?

Merck’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil is seeing physician skepticism regarding its wide-scale use, as doubts of long-term safety and efficacy linger, Pharmawire has found.

Recent reports have linked deaths and rare serious adverse events to the vaccine, doctors said.
Since Gardasil’s approval last year, there have been reports which have cited 11 deaths and adverse events which range from Guillan-Barre syndrome, Bells Palsy, seizures and fainting. The vaccine has also been linked to blood clotting and heart problems.

Also, out of 42 pregnant women who received the vaccine, 18 had complications that ranged from fetal abnormalities to miscarriages.

More at FT

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