A U.S. advisory panel has recommended the use of GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Cervarix vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in girls and young women, the company said on Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended routine administration of Cervarix among 11- and 12-year-old girls as well as for older girls and young women who have not been vaccinated, Glaxo said in a statement. That includes females ages 13 to 25, the company said.

Cervarix protects against infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

The vaccine won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval last week and Glaxo expects it to be available later this year. It competes against Merck & Co's Gardasil HPV vaccine.

Medicine