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£18.6m saved by controversial vaccine choice

18/07/2008

Up to £18.6 million a year could be saved by the government as a result of its controversial decision to choose the vaccine Cervarix rather than Gardasil.

Researchers claim that the savings will be made given that Cervarix is equally effective as the more expensive Gardasil in preventing cervical abnormalities that could lead to cancer.

Controversy was caused when the Department of Health announced Cervarix would be the vaccine used to protect school girls from human papillomaviruses (HPV) from this September.

Campaigners were hoping Gardasil would be chosen as it also protects against genital warts.

Today's study, published online by the British Medical Journal, describes the mathematical model used to predict the cost-effectiveness and long-term outcomes of vaccination programmes using Cervarix and Gardasil.

The researchers from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said as Gardasil provides added protection against genital warts, Cervarix must be priced £13 to £21 less per dose to be cost effective.

They predict that the vaccination programme in the UK is highly likely to be cost effective provided that protection lasts for more than ten years.

It will also provide 'herd immunity' benefits to those in the population who had not received the vaccine, from reduced HPV prevalence in the population.

Commenting on the study, HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) said the government "has made a decision which appears to be cost effective but not health effective".

"What they are basically saying is they think it's cheaper to let people get genital warts and treat them than to prevent them," added Lisa Power, THT corporate head of policy.

"The cost of human misery has not been considered."