2007 Gala
Merck & Co., Inc.
Recipient of the 2007 Corporate Leadership Award
The human papilloma virus (HPV) causes cervical cancer and other conditions, and according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are approximately 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 deaths attributed to it in the United States each year. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and is estimated to cause over 470,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths annually.
During the 1980s, components of HPV vaccines were being assessed by researchers around the world including those at Georgetown University Medical Center, the University of Rochester, the University of Queensland in Australia, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute. By 1996, Merck started production of the first prototype of GARDASIL® and in 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GARDASIL®, the first cervical cancer and HPV vaccine. Today, GARDASIL® has been approved in more than 85 countries, many under fast-track or expedited review, and launched in 70 of those. The vaccine is under review in approximately 50 other countries.
American Skin Association recognizes Merck & Co., Inc. for the development and production of its vaccine against cancers caused by human papilloma virus, thus helping save the lives of millions, both now and in the future.
