GARDASIL® receives highest recommendation for use in males from National Advisory Committee on Immunization

Friday, January 20, 2012 - 10:33

Most parents agree that vaccinating both boys and girls in school is a good idea

KIRKLAND, QC, Jan. 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) updated and strengthened its statement related to the use of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines in Canada. Among the recommendations, NACI determined that there is good (Grade A, the highest level) evidence to recommend the use of GARDASIL® [Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine] in males between 9 to 26 years of age. GARDASIL® is the only HPV vaccine indicated and recommended for boys and men.
"The Canadian Association of Adolescent Health (CAAH) supports the NACI recommendations and applauds the specific updates regarding boys and men," said Dr. Franziska Baltzer, CAAH spokesperson and Division Head, Adolescent Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital. "Both genders contribute to the spread of HPV and develop diseases as a result of HPV infection. To eliminate those diseases, we need to vaccinate males as well as females."
 
A national survey conducted in March 2011 by Ipsos Reid (view Ipsos Reid Factum here) showed that parents support the vaccination of boys in school-based programs paid for with public funds. According to the survey:
  • 85% of parents of males would allow their son to get vaccinated against HPV if it was offered through a publicly-funded program at his school
  • 88% of parents support the assertion that boys should be vaccinated against HPV in the same program as girls
  • 91% of parents agree that vaccinating both boys and girls against HPV would provide greater protection than vaccinating girls alone
The only HPV vaccine indicated and recommended for boys and men
 
NACI made a Grade A recommendation for the use of GARDASIL® in males between 9 and 26 years of age for the prevention of genital warts, anal cancer and pre-cancerous anal lesions. While the total burden of HPV-associated cancers among males is estimated at 5.2% of all cancers worldwide, increasing rates of anal cancer among males have been observed, paired with lower survival compared to females. HPV types 6 and 11 cause approximately 90% of genital warts. There are about 41,450 new cases of genital warts each year in Canada.

About NACI
 
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is a committee of recognized experts in the fields of pediatrics, infectious diseases, immunology, medical microbiology, internal medicine and public health. The Committee reports to the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, and works with departmental staff of the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the Public Health Agency of Canada to provide ongoing and timely medical, scientific and public health advice. NACI makes recommendations for the use of vaccines approved in Canada and also advises on the need for national vaccination strategies.

About the Survey

The results of the survey completed in March 2011 are based on 2231 online interviews conducted nationally with parents of children aged between 10 and 17. The sample was generated by Ipsos-Reid's national online panel (Ipsos I-say Online Panel). With a sample size of 2231, the results are considered accurate to within +/- 2.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had all parents of children 10 to 17 been polled. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.