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LONDON, Sep 4, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- British health officials are being told that vaccinating all 12-year-old girls to prevent cervical cancer could save more than 700 lives a year.
In findings presented to an international conference in Prague, the Czech Republic, GlaxoSmithKline predicts a drop of 75 percent in deaths from cervical cancer with use of its Cervarix vaccine in Britain, the BBC reports.
The drug targets two strains of human papillomavirus which are considered the most common forms of the disease.
While admitting the 100 percent coverage assumed in the study is unrealistic, researchers say even if 80 percent of girls were vaccinated, the number of deaths would drop by 61 percent.
GlaxoSmithKline is in fierce competition with Sanofi Pasteur, which has developed a rival vaccine, Gardasil, that is about to be granted a European license, the report said.
Cervarix is still in the development stage and the maker will not seek European approval for approximately another year.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
