Glaxo says cervical cancer vaccine works for longer

GlaxoSmithKline said on Wednesday new data showed its Cervarix vaccine generated sustained, high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the two most common cervical cancer-causing virus types for 6.4 years.

Glaxo said on Wednesday the data, from an extended follow-up study, showed the longest duration of sustained neutralizing antibody levels reported against both virus types HPV 16 and 18 with a cervical cancer vaccine to date.

Experts believe that neutralizing antibodies—so-called because they have the ability to neutralize cancer-causing virus types and prevent them from infecting cells in the cervix—are essential for cervical cancer protection.