human papillomavirus vaccine (GSK)

Cervarix (HPV-16/18 L1/AS04 vaccine) is a bivalent, recombinant, virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine developed by GSK for the prevention of diseases caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. These two types are responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancer cases globally. The vaccine is composed of the L1 capsid proteins of HPV-16 and HPV-18, which self-assemble into non-infectious VLPs that mimic the viral structure to stimulate a robust immune response. A key feature of Cervarix is its AS04 adjuvant system, which combines aluminum hydroxide with 3-O-desacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), a Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist. This adjuvant system is designed to enhance the magnitude and duration of the antibody-mediated immune response compared to traditional aluminum-only adjuvants. Cervarix is indicated for the prevention of cervical cancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and other related oncogenic lesions.

Brand names

Cervarix

Other names

HPV-16/18 L1/AS04 vaccinebivalent HPV vaccineHPV 16/18 vaccinehuman papillomavirus bivalent (types 16 and 18) vaccine, recombinant