Merck has finished its late-stage clinical trial of a promising new vaccine, Gardasil, which targets HPV types 16 and 18 precancers, the cause of 70% of cervical cancers. The vaccine also works against HPV types 6 and 11, which are responsible for 90% of genital drugs. The trial was conducted on more than 12,000 women over a two-year period. Merck plans to submit a license application to the FDA by the end of 2005.

By Ellie Kuykendall