HPV Vaccine Unlikely To Increase Teen Sexual Behavior, Researcher Says

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 12 Jun 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Increased sexual activity among teenagers as a result of the approval of Merck's experimental human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil is unlikely, CDC analyst Lauri Markowitz said on Tuesday during a presentation to HHS' National Vaccine Advisory Committee, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 6/7). Both Merck's experimental HPV vaccine Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's experimental HPV vaccine Cervarix in clinical trials have been shown to be 100% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 16 and 18, which together cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/6). An FDA advisory committee last month recommended approval of Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26. If Gardasil receives FDA approval, it also must be examined by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which drafts recommendations and schedules for the administration of vaccines in the U.S. ACIP's HPV vaccine group has recommended giving the vaccine to girls ages 11 and 12. The 15-member ACIP also will consider recommending Gardasil for girls and women ages 13 to 26 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/19). Markowitz said fear of contracting sexually transmitted infections does not appear to be a primary reason that teens abstain from sex. In addition, she said research shows that teens do not know much about HPV's link to cervical cancer, adding that her presentation should not be taken to reflect CDC's perspective on the issue. ACIP on June 29 is scheduled to vote on the proposed recommendations from its HPV vaccine group for Gardasil (CQ HealthBeat, 6/7).

PATH Launches HPV Vaccine Access Program for Developing Countries
The global health group PATH on Tuesday launched a five-year program that aims to provide access to HPV vaccines to women in developing countries, Reuters reports (Reuters, 6/6). PATH will begin the program by using a $27.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct research in India, Peru, Uganda and Vietnam about ways to reduce potential hurdles for distribution of the vaccines in developing countries (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/6). The four countries were selected because they have committed to cervical cancer prevention programs and efficient childhood vaccination programs, according to a PATH release. PATH will collaborate with Merck, GSK, the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Harvard University, the Institut Catal� d'Oncologia and other partners in conducting the program. According to PATH, cervical cancer affects about 490,000 women annually worldwide and leads to more than 270,000 deaths (PATH release, 6/5). Gardasil is expected to cost $300 to $500 per vaccine (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/31).

Baltimore Sun Examines Gardasil's Potential Effect on Digene's HPV Test
The Baltimore Sun on Thursday examined the initial "pani[c]" and subsequent "relie[f]" regarding the development of HPV vaccines among officials at Gaithersburg, Md.-based biotechnology company Digene, which sells an HPV test (Bishop, Baltimore Sun, 6/8). Digene's DNA Pap test -- which combines the traditional Pap test with a DNA test for 13 strains of HPV -- received FDA approval in March 2003 as a primary screening tool for cervical cancer for women over age 30 (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 11/10/05). According to the Sun, neither Gardasil nor Cervarix can prevent infection with all the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer, but Digene's test can detect all such strains. In addition, company analysts said it usually takes decades for any vaccine to eliminate a disease, meaning that screening for it would still be important. Charles Fleischman, Digene's chief operating and financial officer, on Wednesday said the company is thankful that Merck will promote HPV education. Some analysts expect Merck this year to spend between $100 million and $150 million on marketing Gardasil, while Digene has spent between $6 million and $10 million annually on an advertising campaign for its test, the Sun reports (Baltimore Sun, 6/8).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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