Friday, the Food and Drug Administration informed that Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer and genital warts in women, has been approved for two other types of cancer. Researchers found that the vaccine can help prevent vulvar and vaginal cancers as well. Gardasil is a genetically engineered drug that is effective against four strains of the human papilloma virus, which is sexually transmitted and also the main cause of cervical cancer. Clinical trials revealed that the vaccine was 100% effective for the vulvar and vaginal cancers. Nevertheless, the FDA advised women to undergo screenings in order to detect cancer, urging them not to rely exclusively on Gardasil. Each year, in the United States, a number ranging from 5,000 to 5,500 women are diagnosed with vaginal or vulvar cancer. So far, 18 million doses of Gardasil vaccine have been distributed throughout the U.S. This year’s sales of the vaccine are expected to bring in a profit that amounts to $1,6 billion.

The FDA also added prescribing information for Gardasil, including reports of blood clots, seizures, autoimmune disorders and paralysis in women given the shot, without stating whether there was any link between the vaccine and the aforementioned events.

Opponents to the drug demand that Gardasil be prescribed only to women over 18 years old, claiming that the drug may not be as safe as it is said to be and that it also gives young women a false sense of security when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. Currently, the vaccine can be given to girls and women between 9 and 26 years old.