This text in Danish (published 29 January 2016): Ny HPV-vaccine i børnevaccinationsprogrammet
On Monday 1 February 2016, a new HPV vaccine enters the Danish childhood immunisation programme. The new HPV vaccine is called Cervarix and replaces Gardasil, which has been used since 2009.
The switch is made pursuant to the outcome of SSI's (Statens Serum Institut) statutory vaccine tender. The tender includes pre-established tender criteria relating to efficacy, adverse reactions, additional effects (condyloma is weighted in this context) and price. On the basis of an overall assessment, the Cervarix vaccine was chosen.
Cervarix offers protection against the two oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer cases. And when it comes to protection against cervical cancer and adverse reactions, Cervarix is similar to the HPV vaccine used so far. Unlike Gardasil, Cervarix does not protect against genital warts (condyloma).
Cervarix was approved for use in Europe (EU) in 2007, and so far approx. 57 million doses have been given globally. The vaccine is used in the childhood immunisation programmes in Holland, Finland, Iceland and Hungary, among others. Cervarix is approved for use from the age of 9 years. The Danish Health Authority (DHA) recommends that the vaccine is given in the childhood vaccination programme at the age of 12.
All girls who receive their first HPV vaccination dose on or after 1 February 2016 is to be given Cervarix. All girls who have already received at least one Gardasil dose must complete their vaccination series with this vaccine. This should take place by the end of January 2017.
Cervarix has been tested in combination with other vaccines, including those given in the childhood immunisation programme, and may be given concomitantly.
In Denmark, the debate about possible adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine has been intense. The Danish Medicines Agency (DKMA) continues to monitor the safety/adverse reactions of the HPV vaccines and still encourages healthcare professionals, patients or their representatives who suspect that they themselves or their patients have had adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine to report them to the DKMA. Since it is the first time Cervarix is used in the childhood immunisation programme, the DKMA has decided to enact stricter reporting requirements, implying that all suspected adverse reactions to the vaccine must be reported by doctors (dentist and midwives).