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LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - A single dose ofGlaxoSmithKline's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinecould prevent the majority of cervical cancers, saving money andimproving uptake of a potentially life-saving vaccination,scientists said on Wednesday.
GSK's Cervarix, which targets two strains of HPV that causeabout 70 percent of cervical cancers, is currently given in two-or three-dose schedules, but one dose seems to offer a similarlevel of protection.
"Our findings question the number of HPV vaccine doses trulyneeded to protect the majority of women against cervical cancer,and suggest that a one-dose schedule should be furtherevaluated," said Aimee Kreimer of the U.S. National CancerInstitute.
"If one dose is sufficient, it could reduce vaccination andadministration costs as well as improve uptake. This isespecially important in less developed regions of the worldwhere more than 80 percent of cervical cancer cases occur."
Kreimer and colleagues published their findings in thejournal Lancet Oncology after poring over data from two largeclinical trials involving some 25,000 patients, some of whomonly received one dose.
Margaret Stanley of the University of Cambridge, who was notinvolved in the research, said the finding was striking andcould be a "game changer" for the use of HPV vaccines worldwide.
But she and other experts cautioned that more research wasneeded in the form of clinical trials to specifically assess theefficacy of a single vaccine dose.
A GSK spokeswoman said the pooled research was welcome,though the company currently had no plans to file for a singledose licence.
Merck makes a rival HPV vaccine, Gardasil, thattargets four strains of the virus. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Susan Thomas)
