By Asmau Ahmad with agency report
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has given an approval for the use of Gardasil as vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and other cancers.
Director general of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, who disclosed this at a joint press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said Gardasil is recommended for girls and boys aged 11 to 12 years, but can be given as early as 9 years or as late as 26 years.
Professor Adeyeye noted that Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa, has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in the continent, with an estimated 15,000 new cases and 10,000 deaths annually.
She stated that several factors contribute to the high disease burden of cervical cancer in Nigeria, such as low awareness, poor screening coverage, limited access to treatment, and high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Professor Adeyeye said there is an urgent need for effective and sustainable interventions to prevent and control cervical cancer in Nigeria and other African countries.
She explained that the use of Gardasil as a single dose Data from immunogenicity trials, post-hoc analyses of efficacy trials, and post-licensure observational studies among females have demonstrated that a single dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to elicit an immune response that provides similar protection as a multidose regimen against initial and persistent HPV infection.
According to her, “Gardasil has been granted registration approval by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in exercising its mandate as stipulated by its enabling law, NAFDAC Act CapN1, LFN 2004 and after rigorous regulatory evaluation process for vaccines.
Use of Gardasil as a single dose Data from immunogenicity trials, post-hoc analyses of efficacy trials, and post-licensure observational studies among females have demonstrated that a single dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to elicit an immune response that provides similar protection as a multidose regimen against initial and persistent HPV infection.
