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Is the FDA Going to Approve Gardasil to Fight Anal Cancer In Guys, Or What?

If there is a medical solution out there that will help prevent cancer from forming in sexually active gay men, shouldn’t we be championing the shit out of it? As recently as October, we were getting all excited about a possible recommendation from the FDA to have young boys receive a Gardasil vaccination treatment, the same one young girls receive to fend off HPV-causing cervical cancer, which in men can cause anal cancer. And now, the data speaks.

We’re generally skeptical of Big Pharma and their studies, because these companies are about making money; saving lives and improving health are only a neat side effect. But Gardasil’s manufacturer Merck’s latest research “found three injections of the vaccine reduced risk of young men developing anal cancer or precancerous lesions of the anus by about 77 percent, compared with those in a group getting dummy shots. The study included 598 men aged 16 to 26. No men in either group developed anal cancer, but 24 who got dummy shots and five who got the vaccine developed precancerous lesions. The men were tested for three years on average, starting with the first dose.”

The study will be used to influence the FDA into approving Gardasil for use in boys. Yes, even the heterosexual ones who won’t grow up to upset New Hampshire State Rep. Nancy Elliott.

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