Cancer Vaccine: January 2007 Archives

In the summer, it was announced that authorities in Scotland were considering vaccinating girls as young as 9 years old against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus in order to combat the cervical cancer that can result from infection, but complaints from parents have stopped the plan in its tracks.

After parents complained the inoculations were inappropriate for such young girls, the government abandoned its proposal, but there are still plans to vaccinate 12-year-old girls against the disease, which is drawing continued fire from parents and advocacy groups. Some opponents say immunizing girls against HPV might encourage them to start having sex at a younger age.

HPV can cause genital warts and is thought to be the root cause of around 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. In Scotland alone, more than 500 women are diagnosed with the virus annually, and about 100 of them die.

COPENHAGEN, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Danish vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic (BAVA.CO) said on Wednesday that its U.S. subsidiary BN ImmunoTherapeutics received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start clinical trials with the breast cancer vaccine MVA-BN-HER-2.

Patient enrolment in a Phase I/II study in the United States will start as soon as possible, Bavarian said.

BN ImmunoTherapeutics also plans to start a Phase I/II study with the vaccine in Europe.