In 2006, Merck & Co.’s Gardasil made headlines when it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a way to protect against cervical cancer by vaccinating against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus which can lead to this type of cancer. Now Gardasil is making headlines again, this time because it seems that it may also protect men.

When tested in men, Gardasil was 90 percent effective in preventing lesions, especially sexually transmitted warts, caused by the human papillomavirus, Anna Giuliano of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues said. This is what made the vaccine’s manufacturer plan to ask government for approval later before the beginning of the coming year.

About 4,000 males ages 16 to 26 in roughly 20 countries participated in the study. According to the findings, there were only 15 cases of persistent infection in the group vaccinated with Gardasil, compared to 101 cases in the other group, which was given a fake vaccine. "This opens the door to a wonderful opportunity to prevent illness," Giuliano said.  

Approximately 40 countries have approved Gardasil for men, even though no clinical trial showed the vaccine prevented penile cancer or other HPV-associated cancers in males. Also, there is no medical proof indicating that it prevents men from spreading the virus to women.

The cervical cancer vaccine was licensed for use in girls and women aged 9 to 26. However, to be most efficient, Gardasil should be administered to girls before they are sexually active because there are more than 100 strains of the human papillomavirus and more than 30 of those strains can be spread through sex.