According to an article in the August 15 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association*, the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine, which is purported to prevent cervical cancer, is not effective in treating women with infection.  It is common for drug companies to look for additional applications for their drugs after approval, and Merck, the maker of the HPV vaccine, was hoping to use the drug not only as a prophylactic but as a treatment for HPV.  

In this study, called the Costa Rican HPV Vaccine Trial, 7466 women were recruited to study the efficacy of the HPV-16-18 vaccine.  Women between the ages of 18 and 25 were then selected based on a positive diagnosis of HPV resulting from a pelvic exam or blood test.  1088 women were then randomized to receive the HPV vaccine in 3 doses, while 1101 women received a control hepatitis vaccine.  After 6 months, the women performed a self-collected Dacron swab for exfoliated cervical cells.  At 12 months, a pelvic examination was given again and more cervical cells collected for evaluation, and blood was tested for HPV antibodies. 

At both the 6-month and 12-month visit, there was no difference in the viral clearance between the two groups, and no effects of the vaccination on the extent of the disease including HPV antibody status, abnormal cervical cytologic results and viral load.  The authors concluded that the HPV vaccine should not be used to treat HPV infections. 

Not only is the HPV vaccine useless – it is designed to prevent infection from only 4 of the 100 strains of HPV, but HPV clears itself or is not harmful most of the time, and is not the principal cause of cervical cancer.  But it is now determined to not be effective for treatment for HPV either.  Too bad the scientists at Merck can’t occupy themselves doing something truly beneficial in the medical field!

*Hildesheim, Allan, et al, “Effect of Human Papillomavirus 16/18 L1 Viruslike Particle Vaccine Among Young “Women with Preexisting Infection: A Randomized Trial,” JAMA 2007:743-753