Merck Sponsors Cinema Ads For HPV Vaccine Gardasil

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Article Date: 08 Jun 2008 - 0:00 PST

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Merck recently launched a cinema advertising campaign for its human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil during the opening of the film "Sex and the City," the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The campaign features a 60-second ad similar to the company's "I Chose" television commercial.

According to Merck, market research found that 76% of women between the ages 19 and 26 described ads they saw before a movie as entertaining. The group also said it pays more attention to ads on a movie screen than on television. According to the Star-Ledger, the group is a "prime slice" of the market for the vaccine. The company would not disclose how much it is spending on the campaign, but Merck spokesperson Kelley Dougherty said it is about the same amount the company spends on advertising on prime-time television.

Gardasil has been approved for use in girls and women ages nine to 26 (Todd, Newark Star-Ledger, 6/5). The vaccine in clinical trials has been shown to prevent infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases, and to prevent infection with HPV strains 6 and 11, which cause about 90% of genital warts cases (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 3/21).

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