HPV vaccine: Part 3

Finally the cost of HPV vaccine

Medicine is foremost a business and nothing is free. A single dose of Gardasil costs $120-$140. Each individual requires three doses over a 6-month period. Further, many physicians are also charging for a consultation fee, cost of syringe and office time. Thus, the average cost for the entire series of HPV vaccine amounts to about $500-$600 plus.

Not all health insurance plans cover Gardasil. Moreover, some insurance plans only cover the vaccine for females in-between the ages of 9-26, the age where the vaccine has been FDA approved. At present, there is no legislation mandating that insurance plans cover the cost of the vaccine.

The pharmaceutical giant, Merck now has released data that the vaccine is also useful in women up to the age of 45. If there is FDA approval for the vaccine for this older group of individuals, perhaps some insurance companies may cover the cost.

At the moment, Gardasil is covered under a federal program for those who have no insurance and to Medicaid eligible children under the age of 18. For those individuals who lack medical insurance, one can check with the physician or the local health clinic to determine if there is program to get the vaccine free.

What is all the fuss about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine?

Cervical cancer is quite common all over the world. The tragedy of cervical cancer is that it affects young females. Current estimates indicate that in America, approximately 11,000 women develop cervical cancer and there are about 3,000 deaths each year. Over the years, a strong link between the human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer has been established. Furthermore, HPV has also been linked to cancers of the mouth, vulva, anus, and penis. With more people engaging in sexual activities at an earlier age, a vaccine would be a great way to prevent these cancers associated with HPV.

At present two vaccines have been developed to prevent infection from HPV. Both vaccines are administered by an injection in three divided doses. The current injection guidelines recommend that the first injection be followed by the 2nd and 3rd dose, two and six months, apart.

So far, only one vaccine is currently available in North America. Gardasil is currently available and recommended for all girls and young women between the ages of 9 and 26. In different countries, the age of vaccination is slightly variable. For example in Australia, cervarix is recommended for all females between the ages of 10-45 and for boys in-between the ages of 9-15. Cervarix is currently in the clinical trials stage in North America but data indicate that it is just as effective and safe as Gardasil.

The most important factor with both vaccines is that one gets vaccinated prior to becoming sexually active. Current data indicate that if the vaccine is injected in sexually active individuals, it does not get rid of HPV infection and thus protection against cervical cancer is not a guarantee.