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Article: Cancer Vaccines Scientists See Hope for Cervical Cancer Vaccine
- Article from:
- Vaccine Weekly
- Article date:
- June 29, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 NewsRX. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Scientists who hope one day to immunize girls against cervical cancer have begun the first human testing of a possible vaccine.
It's far too soon to know if Merck & Co.'s experimental vaccine, described at a biotechnology meeting, will work. The company is in the first stage of testing, to make sure the vaccine is safe enough to study in large numbers of women. But it's a long-awaited step.
"We have an exciting opportunity," said Dr. Katherin Jansen, Merck, as she reported that the vaccine seemed highly effective in animals.
At issue is human papilloma virus (HPV), the nation's most common sexually transmitted disease.
Up to 40 million Americans ...