Cervarix is the name of the vaccine that is used in the UK for the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme. Like all vaccines, the safety and effectiveness of Cervarix has been rigorously tested in clinical trials (a type of medical research that tests one type of treatment against another).
The data from these trials was reviewed by the European Medicine Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use before a licence was granted for its use in Europe.
Monitoring safety
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) collects information from doctors, other healthcare professionals and patients regarding suspected adverse reactions (unwanted reactions following administration of a medicine, including vaccines) through the Yellow Card scheme.
These reports, or yellow cards, are recorded and regularly reviewed. If a potential problem is identified, an investigation will be done and (if necessary) appropriate action taken.
There is also a legal requirement for pharmaceutical companies to report serious and suspected adverse events to the MHRA.
Safety record
Between April 2008 and July 2010, the MHRA received 4,703 yellow cards detailing around 10,410 adverse reactions relating to the administration of Cervarix. The MHRA says this number is consistent with that expected (see the MHRA website for more information on the safety of Cervarix).
Most of these reports were to do with the recognised side effects that are listed in the product information or were due to the injection process and not the vaccine itself.
For isolated cases of other medical conditions reported, the available evidence does not suggest that the vaccine caused these conditions.
When the risks of the HPV vaccine are weighed against the benefits (protection from the two types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases), for most people the balance lies in favour of the vaccine.
