Merck study points to effectiveness of Gardasil in older women; companies compete for lucrative anthrax contract;

Vaccine Research

A new study indicates that Gardasil can protect older women aged 24 to 45 from cancer-causing genital warts as effectively as it guards younger women. Merck paid for the study in Colombia as it pursues lucrative new markets for the HPV vaccine. Report 

A senior scientist for the U.S. Army says that DNA vaccine delivery is less painful to administer than standard vaccine jabs and offers a superior approach to responding to a bioterror attack. Report

A team of scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and Najit Technologies in Portland have won $7.3 million to pursue development of a West Nile virus vaccine for humans. Release

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has received scientific advice from the European Medicines Agency on designing a late-stage trial for NicVAX. Release

Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health has been awarded a grant from the Wellcome Trust to develop a bivalent vaccine for Typhoid fever. Release

Vaccine Market

PharmAthene says that it is one of two companies in the running for an anthrax vaccine contract that could be worth up to $500 million. Report