Merck & Co., the American pharmaceutical company, is testing a vaccine that has the potential to completely prevent cervical cancer at its early stages and precancerous lesions caused by two strains of the virus.
The experimental vaccine, named Gardasil, is the result of a collaboration between the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur and Merck. Gardasil is designed to target two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), specifically types 16 and 18, which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases and lead to 300,000 deaths globally each year. Additionally, it is effective against types 6 and 11, which cause genital warts.
Gardasil has undergone testing with approximately 12,000 women aged 16 to 26 from 13 countries who were free of the disease at the start of the trial. The results indicated “optimal protective efficacy of the vaccine against progressive precancerous lesions and early-stage cervical cancer,” said Laura Koutsky, the lead researcher from the University of Washington.
Half of the women in the trial received three doses of Gardasil over six months, while the other half received a placebo. All participants were monitored for two years. Observations revealed that Gardasil achieved 100% efficacy in preventing precancerous lesions and early-stage cancer related to HPV types 16 and 18 among the vaccinated group. In contrast, 21 cases of precancerous lesions and early-stage cancer were recorded in the placebo group.
Although Gardasil can effectively combat the two most dangerous virus strains, Koutsky hopes that Merck will enhance the vaccine to target an additional half dozen HPV variants. This improvement could potentially prevent 87% of cervical cancer cases, compared to the current 70%.
Merck plans to seek governmental approval for Gardasil. However, the company is currently facing challenges related to its arthritis medication Vioxx, which has been off the market for some time. Merck is inundated with thousands of lawsuits from former users of the drug, who allege that Vioxx caused heart attacks and other serious health issues.
Mỹ Linh (according to Reuter)
