Cervical cancer vaccine approved in SA
The Medicines Control Council has approved the registration for the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) cervical cancer vaccine, which allows the use of vaccine in South Africa.
Making the announcement on Tuesday, 26 February, GSK Medical Director, Dr Navin Singh said the decision to approve GSK's cervical cancer vaccine represents a great step forward for all South African women.
“It is a little-known yet disquieting fact that more women develop and die of cervical cancer than any other type of cancer in South Africa, physicians will now have access to this important vaccine to help protect women against this disease,” said Dr Singh.
GSK's cervical cancer vaccine is a human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) which prevents precancerous cervical lesions associated with the most common cervical cancer-causing HPV types 16 and 18.
The vaccine is formulated with a novel proprietary adjuvant system called AS04, which is designed to enhance the immune response and increase the duration of protection against cancer-causing virus types.
According to GSK, in the US alone, approximately 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed while an estimated 3,700 die from it per year. Worldwide, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes.
In South Africa, one in 26 women is in risk of developing cervical cancer in her lifetime.
Up to 80% of sexually active women will acquire a human HPV infection in their lifetime, with the risk of persistence increasing with age.
Approximately 100 types of HPV have been identified to date and, of these, approximately 15 virus types are considered to cause cervical cancer.
Virus types 16, 18, 45 and 31 are responsible for approximately 80% of cervical cancers globally.
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
Dr Singh said protection strategies against cervical cancer should include routine screening together with a vaccine designed to provide targeted, durable protection against the most common cancer-causing types.
Article published courtesy of BuaNews
