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December 11, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Merck Expects to File 3 Vaccines With FDA by 2006"

Dow Jones Newswire (www.djnewswires.com) (12/10/02); Hovey, Hollister H.

Three Merck vaccines that are now in Phase III human tests should be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration by year-end 2006, the company said.  Merck is now testing a human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), a shingles vaccine, and a possible rotavirus vaccine.  A recently published study of the HPV vaccine found that, after 17 months, 41 sexually active young women who received placebos became infected with a potentially cancer-causing strain of HPV, while none of the approximately 2,400 vaccine recipients did.

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