Cervarix--a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine for prevention of human papillomavirus type 16- and 18-associated cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer continues to have a devastating impact on women worldwide. An estimated 470,000 women are diagnosed with the disease every year and, of these, > 230,000 die from it. Recent decades have witnessed considerable advances in our understanding of cervical carcinogenesis, in particular the causal role that oncogenic human papillomavirus infection plays in its etiology. In countries that lack organized cervical screening programs, prophylactic vaccination against human papillomavirus may offer the most effective way of reducing mortality from the disease. Cervarix, a bivalent L1 virus-like particle vaccine targeted against human papillomavirus types 16 and 18, has been developed to address this possibility. The clinical experience of Cervarix and its potential role in reducing the global burden of cervical cancer is discussed.