Australian cancer vaccine

Australian cancer vaccine has backing of US

A MERCK trial vaccine for cervical cancer has won the approval of the US Food and Drugs Administration as being safe and effective for girls up to nine.

The vaccine, Gardasil, is the brainchild of Australian Researcher Professor Ian Frazer. Professor Frazer is from the University of Queensland's Centre for Immunology & Cancer Research (CICR).

Gardasil acts against the human papiloma virus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer in women.

Members of the US Food & Drugs Administration advisory panel agreed that the vaccine was an effective tool in combating early stages of cervical cancer and other precancerous lesions.

By Neil Rao