Cervarix Vaccine Comes to Russia: Human Papillomavirus Beware!

What is Cervarix and what does it protect against?

 

 

According to news sources, Cervarix is a vaccine that has undergone many clinical trials all over the world and has been found to be effective and safe in helping women from over 70 countries to prevent cervical cancer since last year. Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, studies have shown that women who receive Cervarix between the ages of 15 and 25 have protection against the two strains of HPV (types 16 and 18) for 4.5 years. Cervarix is also formulated with AS04, which boosts the immune system response for a longer period of time to HPV strains.

How effective is Cervarix?

According to its creators, Cervarix is "generally safe and well tolerated" with few if any side effects. The vaccine contains no live virus and no DNA and therefore it cannot infect the patient. All of the women involved in the clinical trials were between the ages of 15-55, and they all developed antibodies to HPV within seven months of receiving the vaccine. The results indicate that the vaccine is most effective in women over the age of 26.

What is HPV and how is it transmitted?

Human Papillomavirus, more commonly known as HPV, is a viral infection for which there is no cure that spreads via sexual contact. It consists of a group of over 100 different viruses, with at least 30 strains known to cause different types of cancer. If infected, symptoms may take weeks and even months to appear, and sometimes, may never show their lethal faces.

When will Cervarix appear in Russia?

Already, Cervarix is used in the United Kingdom for its national vaccination program for teenage girls, and regulatory approval has occurred in Australia, the Philippines, the European Union and the United States. The vaccine will appear in Russian pharmacies in October of 2008.