Adolescents between ages 11 and 14 require only two doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, rather than the originally recommended three-dose regimen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New York Times reports (Grady, New York Times, 10/19).
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued the recommendation on Wednesday. CDC Director Tom Frieden accepted the panel's recommendation a few hours later (McGinley, "To Your Health," Washington Post, 10/19).
Background
HPV infections can lead to anal, cervical, middle throat, penile, vaginal and vulvar cancers. Nearly 80 million U.S. residents currently have HPV, and about 14 million new cases are reported annually. Although the immune system will clear most HPV infections, the virus leads to about 30,700 cases of cancer each year, according to a CDC analysis.
The Food and Drug Administration in 2006 approved Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil for use in young women. The vaccine was later approved for use in young men. Vaccination is recommended at ages 11 and 12, when the body has the most robust response. The vaccine may be administered until age 26, but research shows it becomes less effective at preventing infection as people enter their 20s (Women's Health Policy Report, 10/18).
Currently, only Merck's Gardasil 9 is available on the U.S. market. Merck phased out the older version of the vaccine earlier this month, and GlaxoSmithKline pulled its HPV vaccine, Cervarix, following poor sales (Stobbe, AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/19).
The number of U.S. teenagers and preteens who have received the HPV vaccine lags behind the numbers for other adolescent vaccines. According to 2015 CDC data, 42 percent of girls and 28 percent of boys ages 13 to 17 have received all three doses of the HPV vaccine, while 63 percent of girls and 50 percent of boys have received at least one dose. The government has set a goal of having 80 percent of teenagers vaccinated by 2020 (Women's Health Policy Report, 10/18).
Updated recommendations
CDC on Wednesday lowered the recommended HPV vaccination regimen from three to two doses for adolescents ages 11 to 14, based on research showing two doses among adolescents "produced an immune response similar or higher than the response in young adults (aged 16 to 26 years) who received three doses."
According to research, the two doses for adolescents ages 11 to 14 should be spaced between six and 12 months apart (AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/19).
The agency maintained its recommended three-dose, six-month regimen for individuals ages 15 to 26 ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 10/19). A CDC advisory panel said it did not have enough data to determine whether two doses worked among the older group (AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/19).
Comments
CDC said the two-dose regimen likely will improve vaccination rates (New York Times, 10/19).
CDC Director Tom Frieden said, "Safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against HPV cancers with two visits instead of three means more Americans will be protected from cancer." He added, "This recommendation will make it simpler for parents to get their children protected in time" (Beasley, Reuters, 10/19).
Separately, Douglas Lowy, acting director of the National Cancer Institute, said, "By reducing the number of doses needed to complete HPV vaccination, it should lead to an increase in the percentage of eligible boys and girls who get vaccinated" ("To Your Health," Washington Post, 10/19).
