On the one hand, most young women have not reported adverse affects to the widely-recommended HPV vaccine. On the other, when it goes bad, it's really bad.

The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, was expected to be a slam-dunk for pharmaceutical giant Merck. Instead, it's considered a business failure. Among the many reasons: The politicization of inoculating little girls against future STDs.

• A mother from Albuquerque is suing the secretary of Health and Human Services for recommending Gardasil, a vaccine designed the prevent cervical cancer. She claims her daughter developed a seizure disorder after she received the shots.

• Ekaterina Gerasimova is supposedly a latter day Russian Mata Hari. Political figures claim that she has been trusted with the mission of ruining their reputations by luring them into compromising situations with sex and drugs.

• A CDC advisory committee has recommended GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix, which is similar to Merck's Gardasil vaccine, for use in girls and women. But, some say Cervarix is overpriced because it offers less protection than Gardasil. •

Today the FDA voted to approve the vaccine Cervarix, an HPV vaccine created by British drug company GlaxoSmithKline. The vaccine is expected to become available later this year, but Glaxo has not released any information about pricing.•

The FDA may not approve Gardasil for boys because it is not cost effective. "If coverage in girls ends up being low, then vaccinating boys became much more attractive," said researcher Jane Kim. [Reuters]

• A new book seeks to explain why women are "more in touch with their emotions," among other brain-related things. Apparently, it's because we're more connected, meaning our right and left hemispheres are more closely bound. •

• A DNA test of the skull fragment previously believed to be Hitler's has revealed it is actually a woman's. The find has raised questions about what happened to Hitler's remains and whether he really committed suicide. •

On September 9, a Food & Drug Administration advisory committee will consider whether Gardasil should be approved for boys and if Cervarix, another HPV vaccine approved for women in developing countries, should be sold in the U.S. [Business Week]

In the most comprehensive safety study since its approval, the CDC reports that Gardisil isn't more dangerous than other vaccines. However, Merck promoted Gardasil by providing undisclosed funding to associations while ignoring poor women most at risk for cervical cancer.

• A White House representative asked the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to remove posters that mention the Obama daughters and call for healthier school lunches from the Metro stations where they are currently displayed. The PCRM refused. •

• According to candidate Mehdi Karroubi, some protesters of the Iranian elections were raped in prison. Karroubi wrote: "Some young male detainees were raped [and] some young female detainees were raped in a way that have caused serious injuries." •

The World Health Organization has approved Cervarix, a second cervical cancer vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline. This will hopefully mean good things for women in developing countries.

The makers of Gardasil are trying to get the HPV vaccine approved for boys, which is why now people are questioning the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, rather than if it makes girls slutty.

• New evidence released in the Caylee Anthony case: Five days after Caylee's disappearance, Casey Anthony allegedly wrote in her diary: "I have no regrets...I just hope that the end justifies the means." •

Drugmaker Merck has asked the FDA to approve the Gardasil vaccine’s use for boys ages 9 to 26. For those who don’t know, Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against HPV and cervical cancer.