European Commission grants licence for vaccination against cervical and other cancers.

The first vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer has been granted a licence

The first vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer and other human papillomavirus diseases has today (27th September 2006) been granted a licence by the European Commission. The licence has been granted for vaccination of children and adolescents 9 to15 years, and adult females 16 to 26 years of age.

The following information is from the offical press release:

Professor Margaret Stanley, of the University of Cambridge, commented: "It is excellent news that Gardasil can now be used in the UK. In time, the introduction of human papillomavirus vaccination should not only mean that fewer women will die from cancer, but there should be fewer abnormal smear test results, fewer surgical interventions and less psychological distress for women in the UK."

Dr George Kassianos, GP and Immunisation spokesperson for the Royal College of General Practitioners, commented: "The development of a vaccine to provide protection against cervical cancer is a landmark achievement. The fact that it has taken just 10 months for this vaccine to gain approval is testament to the strength of the clinical trial data and the vaccine’s significance for women’s health. Everyone involved in the prevention and management of cervical cancer, genital warts and the other human papillomavirus diseases, will now be looking forward to the findings of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) regarding the policy for vaccination in the UK."

Pamela Morton, Director of cervical cancer charity, Jo’s Trust, commented: "The licensing of the first human papillomavirus vaccine in the UK is the most significant development since the introduction of screening in the fight against cervical cancer. If available and used widely, this vaccine could not only allow us to provide unprecedented protection to future generations of women against this terrible disease but could also enable us to protect women of this generation who may have already been exposed to the virus."

Further information
More information can be found on these web sites:

www.jotrust.co.uk – the cervical cancer charity
www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Cervix
Cancer Research UK

Other resources
White paper on link between cervical cancer and HPV

NHS pocket guide to cervical smears (2004)
This content was created on Wed 27 September 2006

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