Improved HPV Vaccine Earns License

Gardasil® 9, a new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that protects against five additional HPV serotypes, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration on December 11, 2014.

Two HPV vaccines are already licensed for use in the United States. One, known as Gardasil®, protects against four HPV types — two types (16 and 18) that account for about 70 percent of the HPV types that cause anal, genital, and head and neck cancers, and two types (6 and 11) that account for about 90 percent of the HPV types that cause anal and genital warts. A second vaccine, Cervarix®, contains types 16 and 18 only.

The currently available vaccines could prevent 25,000 annual cases of anal, genital, and head and neck cancers in the U.S. if they were used by those for whom they are recommended; specifically, all adolescent boys and girls. Gardasil 9, which contains types 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58, will prevent an additional 4,000 cancers caused by HPV each year. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will make a specific recommendation about Gardasil 9 during its February meeting.