Study backs Glaxo cervical cancer vaccine

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :28/06/2007 11:44:51

A study published today in the Lancet finds Cervarix to be 90 percent effective in preventing lessions responsible for cervical cancer

GlaxoSmithKline Plc's experimental vaccine Cervarix has proved more than 90 percent effective in preventing precancerous lesions caused by two types of a virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.

Interim results from the biggest cervical cancer vaccine trial to date, published today in the Lancet medical journal, confirm previous positive indications.

Cervarix is a rival to Merck & Co. Inc.'s similar product Gardasil and analysts expect both vaccines will be multibillion-dollar sellers. Some believe Gardasil may have the edge as it is already established in international markets.

So far, the only major market where Cervarix has a green light is Australia. Glaxo expects to launch it in Europe in the second half of this year but in the United States -- the world's top market -- it will not go on sale before 2008.

Cervarix is designed to prevent types 16 and 18 of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which are responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers.

Gardasil also targets two additional virus strains that cause genital warts.

Results of the study involving 18,644 women aged 15 to 25 years showed Cervarix was 90 percent effective against types 16 and 18, based on pre-specified analyses that only required detection of virus in the lesion.

However, researchers found most lesions contained multiple cancer-causing HPV types and when this was taken into account, Glaxo said the data showed Cervarix was actually 100 percent effective against strains 16 and 18.

June 28 2007