French High Council For Public Health Recommends HPV Vaccine Gardasil Over Cervarix

Main Category: Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Also Included In: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 17 Jan 2008 - 8:00 PST

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France's High Council for Public Health on Monday issued a bulletin effectively backing the use of Merck's human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil over use of GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, the bulletin effectively endorsed Gardasil by saying that 14-year-old girls should receive an HPV vaccine that protects against four strains of HPV. Cervarix has been proven to prevent infection with only two HPV strains. Cervarix prevents infection with the two HPV strains that cause most cervical cancer (Reuters, 1/14).

Gardasil in clinical trials has been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases, and about 99% effective in preventing HPV strains 6 and 11, which cause about 90% of genital warts cases (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/7). Cervarix also has been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18 (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/18/07).

The council also said Gardasil should be offered to girls and women ages 15 to 23 before the first time they had sex or within one year of first having sex. According to Reuters, Cervarix has been approved in 45 countries, including the European Union, but has been trailing Gardasil in sales (Reuters, 1/14).

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