10-year data show ‘robust’ long-term benefit of HPV vaccination
Key takeaways:
- A phase 3 study found that HPV vaccination continued to be effective after a decade.
- There were no cases of HPV-related cancers or genital warts among participants.
A study of 10-year follow-up data showed no cases of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and few cases of HPV infection among almost 1,300 boys and girls who received the 9-valent HPV vaccine, according to results published in Pediatrics.
A recently published study found that, for the first time in a decade, HPV vaccination did not increase among U.S. teenagers in 2022. Other studies have indicated that emphasizing the vaccine’s ability to reduce the risk for cancer could improve uptake.
The new study assessed the vaccine’s performance through 10 years among 301 boys and 971 girls who received three doses over 6 months starting between the ages of 9 and 15 years as part of a phase 3 trial. Researchers swabbed the subjects monthly over the decade-long period.
According to the results, geometric mean antibody titers peaked at around month 7, decreased sharply between months 7 and 12, then gradually through month 126.
Among girls, there were no cases of vaccine-targeted HPV-type high-grade disease, such as cervical, vulvar or vaginal cancers; external genital warts; and neoplasia of the cervix and vagina.
One case of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia that was detected in a participant at month 84 “was likely caused by HPV39 and/or HPV59 given the detection of persistent infection with these types, and is not considered a breakthrough case since these two types are not covered” by the 9-valent vaccine, the researchers wrote.
Among boys, the researchers found no cases of vaccine-targeted HPV-type disease, such as penile, perineal or perianal cancer or external genital warts.
They detected just 31 cases of HPV infection among the 1,272 participants over the 10-year period.
“The vaccine elicited robust antibody responses that persisted through 10 years after vaccination,” Alain Luxembourg, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at Merck and a co-author of the study, said in a video abstract that accompanied the study online.
“More than 80% of toxicants were seropositive for each vaccine HPV type after 10 years. No cases of high-grade dysplasia or condyloma related to vaccine-targeted HPV types were observed during long-term follow up,” Luxembourg said. “These long-term data demonstrate that the nine-valent HPV vaccine generates durable antibody responses and effectiveness of at least 10 years.”
“HPV-related cancers and diseases are a significant public health issue,” Eliav Barr, MD, chief medical officer at Merck Research Laboratories, said in a press release. “These strong study results serve as a reminder that we need to do everything we can to expand and recover vaccination rates globally to help protect all eligible people from certain HPV-related cancers.”
References:
Long-term follow-up data on sustained immunogenicity and safety for Gardasil 9 published in Pediatrics. https://www.merck.com/news/long-term-follow-up-data-on-sustained-immunogenicity-and-safety-for-gardasil9-published-in-pediatrics. Published Sept. 5, 2023. Accessed Sept. 5, 2023.
Restrepo J, et al. Pediatrics. 2023;doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060993.
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