New data support GSK's Cervarix two-dose schedule

UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has revealed the results of a Phase III study of its HPV vaccine, Cervarix (Human papillomavirus [types 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant), which showed that two doses of the vaccine in girls aged nine to 14 years provide an immunogenicity matching the currently licensed three-dose schedule in 15 to 25 year olds.

In the trial, HPV-070, 1,447 patients (aged nine to 25 years) across five countries were randomized to receive Cervarix. A group of girls aged nine to 14 years received the vaccine in a two-dose schedule which was compared to another group of 15 to 25 year olds who received it as a three-dose schedule.

The results showed that the two-dose schedule in girls aged nine to 14 years old induced immune responses which were comparable to that seen with the three-dose schedule in 15 to 25 year olds suggesting quality and quantity of the immune response are comparable to the three-dose schedule.