Health Q & A with Jeannie Marr

Q: I have heard that there have been changes to the recommendations of who should get the HPV vaccine. What are those changes?
A: That is correct. The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an expanded indication (recommendation) for men and women between 27-45 years old. Previously, the vaccine was approved for people only 9-26 years old.
Approval is based on the expansion on results of a study of 3,200 women followed over three and a half years that found Gardasil 9 was 88 percent effective in the prevention of vulvar, vaginal and cervical precancerous lesions, cervical cancer and genital warts caused by the nine HPV strains. The vaccine’s effectiveness in men was “inferred” from the study’s data, as well as a clinical trial of 150 men 27-45 years old who received a three-dose vaccination regimen over a six-month period.
Prior to this expanded indication, recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were for HPV vaccination for boys and girls to begin between 11-12 years old although the regimen could begin as early as age 9.
If it is begun before age 15, boys and girls receive two doses of the vaccine, with the second vaccine given six-12 months after the first dose. If it’s not given by age 15, CDC recommends girls ages 15-21 years old receive three doses, with the second dose given one or two months after the first and the third dose given six months after the first.
Creswell HealthMart Pharmacy stocks the HPV vaccine, and is available to answer any further questions. For more information, visit www.oregonhealthmart.com.