A new version of Gardasil would protect against 9 kinds of HPV, which would allow it to offer more than 90% protection against cervical cancer.
Revolution in the prevention of cervical cancer! A new vaccine would now offer more than 90% protection, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Most cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). In France, it is, in terms of frequency, the 11th cancer diagnosed in women: around 3,000 new cases each year, causing around a thousand deaths.
If vaccines already exist, they only protect against certain types of HPV, which resulted in incomplete efficacy, of the order of 70%. The new vaccine, which is a new version of Gardasil – manufactured by the Merck Laboratory and which funded the study – which was approved for sale in the United States last week, now offers 97% protection.
Gardasil 9 would protect against 9 types of HPV, among which 7 are responsible for most cancers of the cervix. Its big brother, Gardasil, only protects against four of them.
Recommended to vaccinate girls before their first sexual experience
“We need to focus our efforts on 12-13 year old girls, […] even if the vaccine must also be available for women aged 25 to 45 as part of screening, ”said the scientist. In France, it is indeed recommended to vaccinate girls before their first sexual experience or in the year following it. Smear screening, even less frequently, remains absolutely essential. In Great Britain, the government is even considering extending vaccination to boys as well as to homosexuals.
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