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A new vaccine has been shown to successfully combat the two most common cervical cancer-causing virus types, with its effects lasting for more than six years.
The data from GlaxoSmithKline shows that its Cervarix vaccine has the longest duration of sustained neutralising antibody levels against virus types HPV 16 and 18 seen in any cervical cancer vaccine to date.
Experts believe that neutralising antibodies – so-called because they have the ability to neutralise cancer-causing virus types and prevent them from infecting cells in the cervix – are essential for cervical cancer protection.
The data, from an extended follow-up study, show that Cervarix generates high levels of sustained neutralising antibodies against the two virus types for up to 6.4 years.
The trial included more than 700 women aged between 15 and 25. During the same period that Cervarix induced sustained high antibody levels for both HPV 16 and 18, the vaccine was shown to provide 100% efficacy against those cancer-causing virus types.
GlaxoSmithKline was so encouraged by the results that it is extending the study even further – in a sub-set of women for up to nine and a half years, the longest follow-up period reported for any cervical cancer vaccine.
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