GSK Vaccine Against HPV Proves More Effective

GlaxoSmithKline said the new vaccine to protect against cervical cancer could offer wider resistance to the disease than previously thought, according to new data released yesterday. GSK say that the vaccine, called Cervarix, appeared to be effective against viruses causing 82% of cervical cancer cases following the latest trial among 700 women.Cervarix had been shown to be effective in blocking two of the most common strains of the papilloma virus, responsible for about 70% of such cancer cases. But according to data presented to a conference in Vancouver yesterday, the treatment in fact works against five HPV strains, raising the drug's effectiveness by a further 12%. See Reuters story here.