GSK: Cervarix Averts HPV for 5-Plus Years

British-based global drug giant GlaxoSmithKline said Tuesday its human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix shows long-term protection against the deadliest HPV.

The company said an extended follow-up study showed the investigational vaccine is 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous lesions due to HPV types 16 and 18 for up to 5 1/2 years. HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70 percent of all cervical cancers.

Glaxo said Cervarix’s effectiveness is the longest reported to date from a cervical cancer vaccine trial.

While the vaccine candidate was designed to target the deadliest forms of cancer-causing HPV strains, the company said Cervarix also showed 68 percent protection against precancerous lesions (CIN2+) and 38 percent protection against abnormal Pap smears, regardless of the type of HPV virus detected.

Glaxo presented the data at the American Association for Cancer Research, held this week in Los Angeles.