News Release

Two dose HPV vaccine effective in treating genital warts, study finds

First published clinical evidence to support CDC recommendations

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Boston University School of Medicine

BOSTON- As of this year, kids under the age of 15 only need 2 doses of HPV vaccine. New research out of Boston Medical Center, published online in the STD Journal, is the first published clinical evidence to support new recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a two-dose HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts. BMC researchers found that the two-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine provides the same level of protection against genital warts as three doses, when given as directed.

The study looked at nearly 400,000 girls from around the country to find the rate of genital warts based on the number of vaccine doses received. Researchers found that receiving two or three doses of the vaccine was effective. Both provided significantly more protection against genital warts than one dose or not receiving the vaccine at all.

The vaccine is recommended to prevent HPV infections and its associated diseases, including cancers and genital warts. Recently, the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) updated their recommendations from a three to two dose vaccine schedule for girls and boys ages 9 to 14.

"The CDC and WHO based the new two dose schedule primarily on immunogenicity results, but there was very little research on how effective that recommendation has been," said Rebecca Perkins, MD, obstetrician at BMC and the study's lead author. "This study validates the new recommendations and allows us to confidently move forward with the 2 dose schedule for the prevention of genital warts." Researchers did note that the rate of genital warts for all girls dropped significantly from 2007 to 2013 and attribute the trend to the wide distribution of the HPV vaccine in recent years.

"The data supporting a two dose schedule is encouraging, but it only reports on genital warts, not cervical dysplasia or cancer outcomes.

Collecting that long term data is paramount," said Perkins, who is also an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine. "This study will be a stepping stone for future research into the effectiveness of the two dose schedule of the HPV vaccine for other symptoms of the disease."

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The study was funded by the American Cancer Society Mentored Research Scholar Grant (MRSG-09-151-01).

About Boston Medical Center

Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 493-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Committed to providing high-quality health care to all, the hospital offers a full spectrum of pediatric and adult care services including primary and family medicine and advanced specialty care with an emphasis on community-based care. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $119 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2015. It is the 11th largest recipient of funding in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. It does business in Massachusetts as BMC HealthNet Plan and as Well Sense Health Plan in New Hampshire, serving more than 315,000 people, collectively. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet - 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit.


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