GSK’s Cervarix cervical cancer vaccine has undergone a successful study.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biological’s cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix has been proved to be effective against the five most common cancer-causing virus types, according to an efficacy trial in medical journal The Lancet.

Cervical cancer affects more than 500,000 women each year, and around 280,000 die from it. Sexually-active women are at risk from the human papillomavirus (HPV), of which there are 100 types – and 15 are known to cause cervical cancer.

The five cancer types that Cervarix could help with are HPV types 16 and 18 – the two most common types responsible for around 70% of cervical cancers – followed by cross-protection against HPV types 31, 33 and 45.

Types 16, 18 and 45 are also associated with around 90% of adenocarcinoma cases – an aggressive form of cervical cancer more common in young women and difficult to detect.

The study involved 18,644 women from 14 countries, and showed more than a 90% success rate in protection against cervical pre-cancers associated with HPV 16 or 18, while also offering “significant cross-protection against pre-cancerous lesions not containing HPV types 16 and/or 18.”

Thomas Breuer, Head of Global Clinical R&D and Chief Medical Officer of GSK Biologicals, said: “These excellent study results confirm the efficacy offered by Cervarix against HPV 16 and 18. For the first time the results show that this vaccine was effective against cervical pre-cancers associated with the five most common cancer-causing virus types.

“This is really good news for primary prevention of cervical cancer as it indicates the vaccine could offer women additional protection against cervical cancer beyond what had at first been anticipated.”

Serious adverse effects for those taking Cervarix were similar to the control group, which took a hepatitis A vaccine. The most common symptoms experienced included fever, headache, and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Lead author of the publication and the study’s principal investigator, Professor Jorma Paavonen, concluded: “The results re-affirm confidence in vaccination as a primary preventative measure against cervical cancer when used alongside screening.”

The vaccine has been approved in 97 countries around the world, including the 27 member states of the European Union (EU).

For further information about the vaccine, visit GSK’s website. For more information about cancer – its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment – visit Cancer Research’s website: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/