CERVARIX Shown To Provide Longest Duration Of Sustained Neutralizing Antibodies To Date-Believed By Experts To Be Important For Cervical Cancer Prevention

15.06.2008 at 08:00 - Category: Cancer and Oncology

GRAZ, Austria -- New data from an extended follow-up study show that GlaxoSmithKline cervical cancer candidate vaccine, CERVARIX(R) generates sustained high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the two most common cervical cancer-causing human papillomavirus types for up to 6.4 years. This is the longest duration of sustained neutralizing antibody levels observed against both virus types 16 and 18 with a cervical cancer vaccine to date.

Experts believe that neutralizing antibodies -- so-called because they have the ability to neutralize cancer-causing virus types and prevent them from infecting cells in the cervix -- are essential for cervical cancer protection. The World Health Organization has stated that neutralizing antibodies are "considered to be the major basis" of vaccine-induced protection from infection.

In addition, the study found that the level of total antibodies induced by the candidate vaccine was sustained and 11 times higher than the total antibody levels induced after natural infection for up to 6.4 years. This new data confirms previous findings from the vaccine's studies showing that, when total antibody levels are high, neutralizing antibody levels are also elevated.

"We designed our cervical cancer vaccine with our proprietary Adjuvant System, AS04, to deliver high and sustained levels of neutralizing antibodies to prevent cervical cancer over the long-term," said Philippe Monteyne, Senior Vice President, GSK Biologicals. "With nearly six and a half years of data, the vaccine has already been shown to provide the longest duration of protection of any cervical cancer vaccine to date. The high and sustained neutralizing antibody levels we observe over this same period give us confidence that the vaccine will continue to protect for even longer. This is why we are extending the study follow-up in a sub-set of women for up to 9.5 years, the longest follow-up period for any cervical cancer vaccine."

This trial included more than 700 women aged 15-25 years. During the same period that the candidate vaccine induced sustained high antibody levels for both virus types 16 and 18, the vaccine had been shown to provide 100 percent efficacy against those cancer-causing virus types.

These data were presented today at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) annual meeting in Graz, Austria.

Original text is here

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CERVARIX Shown To Provide Longest Duration Of Sustained Neutralizing Antibodies To Date-Believed By Experts To Be Important For Cervical Cancer Prevention