US approves cervical cancer vaccine

The newly approved vaccine works by preventing infection by four of the dozens of strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease. The Food and Drug Administration licensed it for use in girls and women 9 to 26. It's still being studied in males.

Gardasil protects against the two types of HPV responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The vaccine also blocks infection by two other strains responsible for 90 percent of genital wart cases.

"FDA approval of the HPV vaccine, the first vaccine targeted specifically to preventing cancer, is one of the most important advances in women's health in recent years," said Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, president of the American Cancer Society.

The vaccine developed for hepatitis B has been shown to protect against liver cancer.

Whether Gardasil enters routine use depends on what the national Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices recommends at a June 29 meeting. The panel's endorsement is critical.