Merck Shingles Vaccine Approved

Earlier this year, the FDA approved its Rotateq, a vaccine designed to prevent rotavirus gastroenteritis, a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children that can be fatal.

Last week, FDA advisers unanimously said the agency should clear another Merck vaccine, called Gardasil, that's meant to stop a virus that causes cervical cancer. The FDA isn't required to follow its advisers' recommendations, but it usually does.

The agency is scheduled to act on Merck's application by June 8, and if Gardasil is approved, it would be the first vaccine against human papillomavirus, or HPV.