Merck's Vaccine Victory Not Yet Complete

Despite securing Food and Drug Administration approval for Gardasil, the first cervical cancer vaccine, Merck (MRK Quote) still needs more endorsements to ensure big sales.

An advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state legislatures will play major roles in Gardasil's future, demonstrating to investors that there's more to assessing a drug's prospects than FDA clearance.

Gardasil prevents major types of human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer and genital warts, and the vaccine was greeted upon approval with considerable fanfare because of its potential. Just how far that potential will take it could soon become easier to gauge. ...