By: Danae Roumis for Fibroids1The development and release of Cervarix by British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is stirring the controversy about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) immunization; it is the first widely approved competitor to Merck and Sanofi-Aventis’ Gardasil. Cervarix targets HPV types 16 and 18, which cause more than two thirds of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Successfully targeting these types is important because cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer in women under 45, and is responsible for over 250,000 deaths globally per year.
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HPV is a sexually transmitted virus. The best way to detect the presence of HPV is to combine a regular Pap smear with a specific HPV test.
Even if you have been or intend to be vaccinated against HPV, continued exams and Pap smears are recommended, as there are many strains of HPV and the vaccines do not protect against all of them.
Contact your physician if you are considering immunization against HPV. |
Gardasil targets the same HPV types as Cervarix, as well as types 6 and 11 (associated with genital warts), but preliminary comparisons by GlaxoSmithKline assert that Cervarix is about 10 percent more effective in preventing persistent infection against types 16 and 18. GSK researchers are also confident that Cervarix is longer-lasting – it is effective for four years. In addition, while Gardasil is primarily used for girls between the ages of 12 and 26, the developers of Cervarix say it is effective for all females aged 10 to 45. Although early reports by GSK indicate that younger girls may actually respond better to Cervarix than older women, the focus is on older women, as it is the only vaccine available to them so far. The long-term efficacy of these vaccines will be determined over time.
Cervarix has been approved by European and Australian health officials, and release in Europe is expected later this year. Australia has stepped forward as the first country to make the vaccine available to the public through health plans. Australia’s national campaign for immunization against HPV is already under way, utilizing Gardasil in their two-year plan to vaccinate all school-aged girls. Cervarix is being made available to women ages 27 to 45 who are not normally covered under the immunization plan. In the United States, GSK is awaiting approval from the Food & Drug Administration, which did not grant a priority review to the vaccine. It will instead be subject to a 10-month review, and will most likely become available sometime in 2008.
