Researcher Thinks She Has Cancer Vaccine
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JANUARY 24, 2005
Dr. Diane Harper, a researcher at Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, N.H., has studied the link between human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer for 20 years. Harper now believes she may have found a vaccine that protects against the two strains of HPV that are linked to 70 percent of cervical cancers.
The vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline, was tested from 2000 to 2003 on 1,113 women ages 15 to 25 from the United States, Canada, and Brazil. In women who received three injections and follow-up testing, the vaccine was 100 percent effective. In those who received only one or two injections, the vaccine proved to be 91 percent effective. The vaccine offers protection for three to five years from immunization. No side effects, except for pain or redness at the injection site, were reported, said Harper, who added that she is an independent researcher and is not paid by GSK.
"It offers such an advantage for women and such a change in health care, one that we will actually see in the next five years," Harper said of the vaccine. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it could be available early next year. "I'm extremely excited about the possibilities."
According to preliminary findings, said Harper, the vaccine may protect against HPV-associated diseases such as anal cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvular cancer, esophageal cancer, abnormal pap smears, and mouth or oral cancer. "It's going to take us 20 to 30 years to get the data, but we're really hopeful this has long-term protective effects," she said.
The vaccine is now in phase III trials - the final step before licensing the drug for general use - involving 15,000 women worldwide. If approved, said Harper, the vaccine would be recommended for girls ages 10 to 12 with booster immunizations later.
Harper and her research team are also examining an HPV vaccination for men, who often unknowingly carry the infection.