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Is Merck s Gardasil Vaccine Worth the Money?

Posted on August 20, 2008

Merck s Gardasil vaccine for cervical cancer isn t cheap it s a three-shot series that costs about $360. Whether it s worth the money depends on several variables, suggests an analysis in this week s New England Journal of Medicine.Assuming the vaccine provides lifelong immunity, vaccinating girls at age 12 costs $43,600 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained a figure the authors, from Harvard s School of Public Health, call economically attractive. But the cost per QALY goes up significantly for vaccinating older girls and women, who are more likely to be infec...

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cancer , cervical cancer