CDC Advisory Committee Recommends Cervarix To Prevent Cervical Cancer in Girls and Young Women
22 October 2009 - 4:46AM
PR Newswire (US)
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GlaxoSmithKline
(NYSE: GSK) announced today that the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) recommended that CERVARIX® [Human papillomavirus
bivalent (types 16 and 18) vaccine, recombinant] be given to girls
and young women to protect against cervical pre-cancers and
cervical cancer caused by oncogenic HPV 16 and 18. The ACIP
specifically recommended CERVARIX for routine administration among
11 and 12 year old girls. In addition, the recommendation includes
a catch up for girls and young women who have not previously been
vaccinated, which for the approved age range for CERVARIX includes
13-25 year old girls and young women. On October 16, 2009, the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CERVARIX for the prevention
of cervical pre-cancers and cervical cancer associated with
oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 for use in
girls and young women (aged 10-25). "It's estimated that this year,
ten women will die every day from cervical cancer in the U.S.,"
said Barbara Howe, M.D., Vice President and Director, North
American Vaccine Development, GlaxoSmithKline. "The ACIP
recommendation for CERVARIX underscores how important it is for
girls and young women to be vaccinated to help reduce the burden of
this devastating cancer." Additionally, the ACIP unanimously
recommended to provide funding for CERVARIX from the Vaccines for
Children (VFC) program. The federally funded program provides
vaccines at no cost to children up through 18 years of age who
might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay.
Children who are eligible for VFC vaccines are entitled to receive
pediatric vaccines that are recommended by the ACIP. CERVARIX is
expected to be commercially available in the U.S. in late 2009.
About CERVARIX® CERVARIX is administered to girls and young women
between the ages of 10-25 in a three dose schedule with the second
and third doses administered one and six months after the first
dose. To date, CERVARIX has been approved in 100 countries around
the world, including the 27 member states of the European Union
(EU), Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico and Taiwan. GSK also
received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification in July
2009. CERVARIX® (Human papillomavirus bivalent (types 16 and 18)
vaccine, recombinant) is a registered trademark of the
GlaxoSmithKline group of companies. Important Safety Information --
CERVARIX is contraindicated in patients with severe allergic
reactions to any component of the vaccine. -- CERVARIX is not
recommended for use in pregnant women. -- Because vaccinees may
develop syncope, sometimes resulting in falling with injury,
observation for 15 minutes after administration is recommended.
Syncope, sometimes associated with tonic-clonic movements and other
seizure-like activity, has been reported following vaccination with
CERVARIX. When syncope is associated with tonic-clonic movements,
the activity is usually transient and typically responds to
restoring cerebral perfusion by maintaining a supine or
Trendelenburg position. -- The most common local adverse reactions
and general adverse events in greater than or equal to 20% of
subjects were pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site,
fatigue, headache, myalgia, gastrointestinal symptoms, and
arthralgia. -- Vaccination with CERVARIX may not result in
protection in all vaccine recipients. About Cervical Cancer Women
are at risk of HPV infection and cervical cancer throughout their
lives. Approximately 100 types of HPV have been identified to date
and, of these, approximately 15 virus types are known to cause
cervical cancer. While the majority of cervical cancers in North
America are caused by HPV types 16 and 18, approximately 25 percent
of all cervical cancers are caused by other oncogenic HPV types.
Infection with cancer-causing virus types can lead to abnormal Pap
tests, cervical pre-cancers and cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is
the second leading cause of cancer death in women in their twenties
and thirties. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009,
in the U.S. approximately 11,000 women will be diagnosed with
cervical cancer and 4,000 women will die from the disease,
regardless of age. Worldwide, more than 500,000 women will be newly
diagnosed with cervical cancer and 280,000 women will die from it
each year. GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals - GSK Biologicals,
GlaxoSmithKline's vaccines business, is one of the world's leading
vaccine companies and a leader in innovation. The company is active
in the fields of vaccine research, development and production with
over 30 vaccines approved for marketing and 20 more in development.
Headquartered in Belgium, GSK Biologicals has 13 manufacturing
sites strategically positioned around the globe. In 2008 GSK
Biologicals distributed 1.1 billion doses of vaccines to 176
countries in both the developed and the developing world -- an
average of 3 million doses a day. Through its accomplished and
dedicated workforce, GSK Biologicals applies its expertise to
discover innovative vaccines that contribute to the health and
well-being of people of all generations around the world.
GlaxoSmithKline - one of the world's leading research-based
pharmaceutical and healthcare companies - is committed to improving
the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel
better and live longer. For further information please visit
http://us.gsk.com/ Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements Under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, GSK cautions investors
that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK,
including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected. Factors that may affect GSK' s operations are
described under 'Risk Factors' in the 'Business Review' in the
company' s Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2008. DATASOURCE:
GlaxoSmithKline CONTACT: US Media inquiries: Jeff McLaughlin,
+1-919-483-2839, Sarah Alspach, +1-919-483-2839, Mary Anne Rhyne,
+1-919-483-2839, or Kevin Colgan, +1-919-483-2839; US Analyst/
Investor inquiries: Tom Curry, +1-215-751-5419, or Jen Hill Baxter,
+1-215-751-7002 Web Site: http://us.gsk.com/ Company News On-Call:
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