In late 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced expanded approval of the Gardasil 9 human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. Previously approved for administration to males and females between the ages of 9 and 26, Gardasil 9 is now an approved HPV vaccine for men and women through 45 years of age.
According to the FDA’s press release:
“[The] approval represents an important opportunity to help prevent HPV-related diseases and cancers in a broader age range. . . . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that HPV vaccination prior to becoming infected with the HPV types covered by the vaccine has the potential to prevent more than 90 percent of these cancers, or 31,200 cases every year, from ever developing.”