Gardasil, the vaccine that is meant to protect women from cervical cancer, will now be available for boys and young men.
The pharmaceutical giant Merck announced this week it has acquired Health Canada's approval for Gardasil to be used as a shield against the human papillomavius (HPV) in males aged 9 to 26.
Certain strains of HPV can cause genital warts as well as cervical cancer in women and anal cancer in men.
The virus is sexually transmitted. So the goal will be to vaccinate males before they become sexually active, said Charles Lynde, a Merck consultant and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.
Until now, Gardasil has been available only to young females. "But that's only half the equation," Dr. Lynde said. By vaccinating both sexes, transmission of the virus should be further reduced, he predicted.