The primary objective of the head-to-head trial is to compare the immune responses to two of the most common cancer causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) in US women aged 18 to 26 years old.
Secondary objectives include evaluating the immune responses to the same strains in women aged 27 to 35 years old and 36 to 45 years old. In addition, the study will compare immune responses to other cancer-causing HPV types.
“Vaccination to prevent cervical cancer may be the most significant healthcare breakthrough for women in our lifetime,” said Dr Mark Blatter, Medical Director of Primary Physicians Research in Pittsburgh.
Merck's Gardasil vaccine is already ahead of Ceravix as it has been marketed since last year. Ceravix has not yet been submitted for approval in the US.
In previous trials, GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine has demonstrated that it protects for up to 4.5 years against persistent infection with the two most common HPV types.