March 11, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are joining the effort to test a vaccine that they hope will keep women from contracting HPV, a common infection that is known to cause genital warts and virtually all cases of cervical cancer.

In a study reported last fall in the New England Journal of Medicine, investigators showed that the vaccine prevented the most common type of human papillomavirus (HPV) in 100 percent of women who took it, whereas 3.8 percent of those who were not vaccinated developed HPV each year.

“We have high hopes that this vaccine will continue to prove effective against more types of HPV during this next phase of trials,” said Dr. Edward Partridge, who heads UAB’s gynecological cancer program. “The reason this is important is that we know HPV infects up to 20 percent of all women and is linked to more than 200,000 cases of cervical cancer every year worldwide.”

The study is seeking to enroll healthy women 19-23 years of age who do not already have HPV infection. The study of the vaccine, which was developed by Merck & Co., will last five years. “This will be a randomized controlled clinical trial in which some non-pregnant women will be given physical examinations and then given either the vaccine or a placebo,” said Partridge.

Eligible participants will receive the physical exams at no cost and will be given compensation for time and travel over the course of the study. People wanting more information on participation may call 1-866-283-7223 (toll-free) or (205) 975-7223.

Dr. Sharmila Makhija, a co-investigator in UAB’s arm of this international study, said, “While relatively few women who have HPV go on to develop cervical cancer, practically all cervical cancers that do occur are the result of long-term HPV infection. If this vaccine proves to be effective, it could be the first human vaccine with the specific purpose of preventing cancer.”