[22] Though Gardasil does not treat existing infection, vaccination is still recommended for HPV-positive individuals, as it may protect against one or more different strains of the disease.
[26] In 2007, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Gardasil for routine vaccination of girls aged 11 and 12 years.
In 2010, Gardasil was approved by the FDA for prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people aged 9 through 26 years.
[41][42] The FDA approved Gardasil 9 for women and men aged 27 to 45 based on the vaccine being 88% effective against persistent HPV infections that cause certain types genital warts and cancers in females.
Long-term studies of vaccine efficacy that are still in progress will help scientists better understand the total duration of protection.
"[45] Gardasil has been shown to be partially effective (approximately 38%) in preventing cervical cancer caused by ten other high-risk HPV types.
[21][47] The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Mexico, and Quebec province of Canada are among the countries or territories that have implemented this as of June 2015[update].
[22] A 2005 study found that 95% of HIV-infected gay men also had anal HPV infection, of whom 50% had precancerous HPV-caused lesions.
[62] The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider the vaccine to be safe.
[65] More than twenty women who received the Gardasil vaccine have died, but these deaths have not been causally connected to the shot, as correlation does not imply causation.
[77] Acting FDA administrator Andrew von Eschenbach said the vaccine will have "a dramatic effect" on the health of women around the world.
[78] Gardasil is an important tool in reducing cervical cancer rates even in countries where screening programs are routine.
In the early years of Gardasil's introduction it was unclear how widespread the use of the three-shot series would be, in part because of its $525 list price ($175 each for three shots).
[65] The August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association had an article reiterating the safety of Gardasil[68] and another questioning the way it was presented to doctors and parents.
The new vaccine against 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil, like other immunizations appears to be a cost-effective intervention with the potential to enhance both adolescent health and the quality of their adult lives.
However, the messages and the methods by which the vaccine was marketed present important challenges to physician practice and medical professionalism.
The vaccine manufacturer also provided educational grants to professional medical associations (PMAs) concerned with adolescent and women's health and oncology.
The funding encouraged many PMAs to create educational programs and product-specific speakers' bureaus to promote vaccine use.
However, much of the material did not address the full complexity of the issues surrounding the vaccine and did not provide balanced recommendations on risks and benefits.
[86] Research findings that pioneered the development of the vaccine began in 1991 by investigators Jian Zhou and Ian Frazer in The University of Queensland, Australia.
Researchers at UQ found a way to form non-infectious virus-like particles (VLP), which could also strongly activate the immune system.
Even though Perry also allowed parents to opt out of the program more easily, Perry's order was criticized, by fellow presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann during the 2012 Republican Party presidential debate as being an overreach of state power in a decision properly left to parents.