Gardasil Not Readily Available?
I’ve posted about Gardasil several times here and was even a guest on the Bicyclemark Audio Communique to discuss it before it was approved. I am very excited about it as it is the first cancer vaccine to be approved and works very well for several varieties of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause the majority of cervical cancer cases. I would point out that getting this vaccine does not guarantee the female will not get cervical cancer but the odds are dramatically reduced.
New Cervical Cancer Shot Hard to Find - Newsday.com
However, Newsday is reporting that the vaccine is hard to find. Many doctors offices and clinics don’t yet have the shots on hand. It is interesting that a lot of students retuning to college or high school get physical checkups now and it is important to have the vaccine available. Otherwise, it is likely a year or more before they see a doctor again. I would note that I checked the FDA webpage on drug shortages and Gardasil is not one of them. So it would appear to not be a case of a shortage but more a case of it not being on hand where it is needed in doctors offices and clinics. A Merck spokesperson said it was available in all 50 states but would not comment on the amount shipped.
Another major concern is that health insurance may not cover the cost. The vaccine is a series of three shots and the cost is estimated to be several hundred dollars ($300-500). While I think it is well worth this to eliminate the chance of contracting HPV which could lead to cervical cancer, I do realize that paying for this can be a problem for some people. Hopefully, this is just the usual issues you run into with a new medication and it just takes a while to get all the forms and reimbursements figured out. I hope it is not due to fear of political fall out if a company does decide to cover the vaccine.
• Gardasil Vaccine Information from Merck
Technorati Tags: cervical cancer, Gardasil, Merck, cancer vaccine
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