Abstract
In This Issue...
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted
diseases and is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers
worldwide. Treatment is a challenge because the immune response to the virus
has not been well characterized, and the virus has a propensity to persist,
produce recurrent clinical disease, and cause cancer. Merck's October 2005
announcement that its HPV vaccine, Gardasil, proved to be 100% effective in
preventing cervical cancer has excited the medical community but has also
triggered debate regarding its inclusion on the U.S. recommended schedule of
vaccinations, an inclusion that is often critical for vaccines' commercial
success. In this report, we review the prevalence of HPV; discuss Merck's
Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix HPV vaccines; profile the U.S.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which determines which vaccines
are included on the U.S. recommended schedule of vaccinations; examine the
debate surrounding the vaccines' inclusion on the U.S. recommended schedule of
vaccinations; and discuss the implications of this debate for the
pharmaceutical industry as a whole.
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