Difference between revisions of "Cervarix"

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:The pre-licensing programme for Cervarix comprised two major clinical trials (a ‘proof-ofconcept’ Phase IIb study and a larger Phase III trial) encompassing some 19,788 women aged
 
:The pre-licensing programme for Cervarix comprised two major clinical trials (a ‘proof-ofconcept’ Phase IIb study and a larger Phase III trial) encompassing some 19,788 women aged
15–25 years.7,9,11,12 The key features of these studies are summarised in Table 1. A further Phase III, community-based, randomised clinicaltrial is currently underway in Costa Rica, which
+
15–25 years. A further Phase III, community-based, randomised clinicaltrial is currently underway in Costa Rica, which
is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. An
+
is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
interim analysis of this study has reported on the
+
 
effects of Cervarix in women with pre-existing
 
HPV infections (see below).13 In total, completed
 
and ongoing clinical trials of Cervarix will
 
involve nearly 30,000 women and girls aged
 
between 10 and 55 years.8
 
In the initial Phase IIb study, vaccine efficacy
 
was evaluated by examining the impact of
 
Cervarix on incident and persistent HPV 16/18
 
infections in women naïve to 14 different high-risk
 
oncogenic HPV types, including HPV 16 and 18,
 
and who also had normal cervical cytology (Table
 
1). This study also included an extension phase,
 
which evaluated these same parameters with
 
longer-term follow-up (mean follow-up 47.7
 
months). Although it is only a surrogate marker
 
for vaccine efficacy against clinical disease,
 
persistent HPV infection can be readily
 
monitored using standard molecular biology
 
techniques thereby providing substantial
 
reproducibility between testing centres, in contrast
 
to the subjective nature of cytological and
 
histological assessments. However, licensing
 
authorities now demand that clinical trials of
 
cervical cancer vaccine also evaluate the incidence
 
of histological lesions of the cervix including the
 
incidence of CIN2+, which is now widely
 
considered to be the most direct correlate of
 
vaccine efficacy in preventing cervical cancer.14
 
Although the Phase II study evaluated the effect of
 
Cervarix on cytological and histological cervical
 
abnormalities, with extended follow-up of up to
 
4.5 years, the trial was insufficiently powered to
 
provide firm evidence of vaccine efficacy.<ref>Scott Chambers CSF Medical Communications, Cheltenham, UK [http://www.drugsincontext.com/downloads/Cervarix.pdf Cervarix – preventing cervical cancer and other diseases related to HPV]  ''Drugs in Context'' 2008; 4: 59–70</ref>
 
  
 
==Biographical Information==
 
==Biographical Information==

Revision as of 11:16, 5 April 2009

Background

Introduction

Cervarix is a vaccine intended to protect females against the diseases caused by infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. These diseases include: - cervical cancer(cancer of the cervix i.e. lower part of the uterus or womb), - precancerous cervical lesions(changes in cells of the cervix that have a risk of turning into cancer).

Cervarix will not protect against all types of Human Papillomavirus.HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for approximately 70% ofcervical cancer cases. When a female is vaccinated with Cervarix, the immune system(the body’s natural defence system) will make antibodies against HPV types 16 and 18.

The Cervarix clinical trial programme

The pre-licensing programme for Cervarix comprised two major clinical trials (a ‘proof-ofconcept’ Phase IIb study and a larger Phase III trial) encompassing some 19,788 women aged

15–25 years. A further Phase III, community-based, randomised clinicaltrial is currently underway in Costa Rica, which is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.


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