HPV Vaccine Research

HPV Long-Term Evaluation Study - Update

In December 2010, MSFHR made a call for applications for a study to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the Gardasil™ vaccine. The vaccine provides protection against four strains of the human papilloma virus implicated in the development of genital warts and cervical cancer. With support from the Government of British Columbia and several other provinces and territories, MSFHR will fund a 15-year clinical trial to determine the long-term effectiveness of a two-dose human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for adolescent girls
age 9-13. 

Letters of Intent (LOI) were due by January 31, 2011.  Select applications will be invited to submit full applications and be eligible for up to $15,000 to assist with the process.  Full applications are due May 24, 2011. Competition results are expected to be announced in May 2011 with funding to be released in June, 2011.

Background

In 2006, Canada granted regulatory approval for the use of a new vaccine – Gardasil™ – for the prevention of infection from four strains of HPV. This virus has been identified as a cause of genital warts and cervical cancer, and is often described as the most common sexually transmitted infection.

MSFHR received a request from the BC provincial health officer to provide oversight and accountability mechanisms for a research project related to the vaccine. The work was undertaken by a team of researchers at the Vaccine Evaluation Centre at the Child & Family Research Institute (CFRI) and the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), with the goal of determining the most cost effective way to provide immunity.

The approved protocol for the vaccine involves a three-dose regime, at a cost of more than $100 per dose, per individual. The team at CFRI and BCCDC undertook research, which demonstrated that a two-dose regimen was also effective in conferring immunity. The project was a two-and-a-half year study, and involved clinical trial sites in Nova Scotia and Quebec as well as BC. The project also developed an immune assay – a test to determine acquired protection from the virus that is not proprietary to a vaccine manufacturer. Benefits of a shorter-dose regime include significant cost savings for subsequent immunization programs. In 2010, MSFHR was approached to facilitate a longer term study to determine the long-term effectiveness of the two-dose regime versus the three-dose regime. The goal of the research is to determine how long the vaccine remains effective in conferring protection and if or when booster doses are required to maintain the protection. This research will provide additional information important for a decision about whether or not to use a two-dose regimen.

Last updated December 15, 2010