Girls may not have riskier sex after HPV vaccination 
October 15th, 2012
By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK | Mon Oct 15, 2012 12:07am EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Girls who had been vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) weren’t more likely to get other sexually transmitted infections or to become pregnant, in a new study from Georgia. That goes against worries on the part of some that getting the vaccine – which is supposed to ultimately help prevent cervical cancer – would encourage girls to become sexually active or engage in riskier sex than they otherwise would. “Some parents have expressed it as a concern,” said Saad Omer, an infectious diseases and vaccine researcher from Emory University in Atlanta who worked on the study.
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Vaccine to treat cervical cancer shows early promise
October 10th, 2012
By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO | Wed Oct 10, 2012 3:55pm EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) – A new type of cervical cancer vaccine made by Inovio Pharmaceuticals has shown early promise as a potential treatment for pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, researchers at the company said on Wednesday. Instead of preventing infections caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus or HPV, as is the aim of Merck’s Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix vaccine, the Inovio vaccine is designed to train the immune system to kill cells that spur cancer growth in women who are already infected. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women globally, causing 493,000 new cases and 274,000 deaths each year
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UK says Sanofi, Merck recall some typhoid vaccine batches
October 8th, 2012
LONDON | Mon Oct 8, 2012 11:49am EDT LONDON (Reuters) – Sanofi Pasteur MSD, the vaccine joint venture of Sanofi and Merck & Co, has recalled some batches of its typhoid vaccine because of concerns about effectiveness, Britain’s drug regulator said on Monday. The decision to recall 16 batches of Typhim Vi follows filling problems in the manufacturing process, according to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. “There are no concerns over the safety of this vaccine but the recall has taken place because the vaccine may not be as effective as it should be,” agency official Ian Holloway said
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HPV vaccine found safe in large study
October 1st, 2012
By Frederik Joelving NEW YORK | Mon Oct 1, 2012 4:27pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A study of nearly 190,000 young women injected with Merck & Co’s human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil found no new safety concerns. Researchers said the only side effects they observed – rare cases of skin infections and fainting – were benign and expected
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Sanofi dengue vaccine less effective than hoped
September 10th, 2012
The logo of French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis is seen on the facade of their headquarters in Paris August 4, 2010. Credit: Reuters/John Schults By Ben Hirschler LONDON | Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:34pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) – The world’s most advanced vaccine against dengue fever, being developed by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, proved far less effective than hoped in a clinical trial in Thailand, researchers reported on Monday. The result leaves uncertain the future of a product that Sanofi has previously said could generate more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in yearly sales.
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World’s first dengue vaccine beats three virus strains
July 25th, 2012
By James Regan and Ben Hirschler PARIS/LONDON | Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:48am EDT PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) – The world’s first vaccine against dengue, developed by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, has shown the ability to protect against disease caused by three of four virus strains in a keenly awaited clinical trial in Thailand. Sanofi said on Wednesday the proof of efficacy was a key milestone in the 70-year quest to develop a viable dengue shot, adding the results also confirmed the safety profile of the vaccine candidate. Other drug companies are also working on dengue vaccines but Sanofi’s product is several years ahead
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Genital warts on the decline among Swedish women
July 24th, 2012
By Frederik Joelving NEW YORK | Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:25pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Genital warts have been on the decline among women in Sweden after the country began offering subsidized HPV vaccinations to teenage girls in 2007, new research shows. Rates of the sexually transmitted infection dropped by 17 percent among women ages 15 to 25 from 2006 to 2010, although there was no change among men over the same period.
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Scientists see AIDS vaccine within reach after decades
July 15th, 2012
About 2880 candles are seen lit during a World AIDS Day event in Jakarta December 1, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Dadang Tri By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO | Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:03am EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) – At an ill-fated press conference in 1984, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler boldly predicted an effective AIDS vaccine would be available within just two years.
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Merck recalls vaccine after accidental release: FDA
June 21st, 2012
Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:49pm EDT (Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc recalled a batch of vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella after it accidentally shipped doses to its U.S. customers before internal company approval for market release, U.S. health regulators said.
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CDC recommends expanded use of Pfizer vaccine
June 20th, 2012
Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:22pm EDT (Reuters) – An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted on Wednesday to recommended expanded use of Pfizer Inc’s Prevnar 13 vaccine to include adults 19 and older with compromised immune systems due to conditions such as HIV infection, cancer and advanced kidney disease. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)favored the expanded use by a vote of 14-0 with one abstention, the CDC said
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