Spain withdraws batch of Gardasil after two adverse events

The Spanish Ministry of Health has temporarily withdrawn  a batch of US drug major Merck & Co's Gardasil human papillomavirus vaccine  following the emergence of two suspected cases of adverse events. The  Ministry said that only the NH52670 batch was affected and the move was  only a precaution. European distributor Sanofi Pasteur MSD told the  Reuters news service that two girls had become ill after taking the  vaccine, but noted that there was no certainty that Gardasil had caused  the symptoms and that both children had other medical conditions, which  may have led to the adverse events. Simon Mather, a WestLB bank analyst,  told clients that the news was mildly positive for the UK's  GlaxoSmithKline, which markets Gardasil competitor Cervarix.