NAFDAC approves Gardasil vaccine for immunization against cervical cancer

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has granted approval for the use of the Gardasil vaccine for routine immunization against cervical cancer in Nigeria. 

Director General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this Tuesday during a joint press briefing with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Abuja. 

The approval came as the federal government announced that it would be introducing Human Papilloma Vaccine (HPV) into the country’s immunization programme on October 24 to protect girls between 9 and 14 years against cervical cancer. 

Prof Adeyeye said Nigeria had 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.  

• NIGERIA DAILY: The Cost Of Living Crisis, Stories From The Streets
• Nigeria, China strategic partnership key to Africa’s development – Shettima

She said Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and other cancers.  

She said NAFDAC was in support of the introduction of the Gardasil vaccine (a type of HPV Vaccine) as a single dose schedule into the country’s routine immunization because data from immunogenicity trials, post-hoc analyses of efficacy trials, and post-licensure observational studies among females demonstrated that a single dose of HPV vaccine was sufficient to elicit an immune response that provides similar protection as a multidose regimen against initial and persistent HPV infection. 

 The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said the introduction of the HPV vaccine was not just a medical advancement but also a profound leap forward in the government’s mission to protect the health and aspirations of young girls.  

He said the HPV vaccine had been scientifically proven to be safe and effective in preventing HPV infection and reducing the risk of cervical cancer. “I am delighted to share that this vaccine will be provided free of charge to all eligible girls in Nigeria, commencing on October 24, 2023,” he said. 

He said many countries, both in the Western and African regions, have already integrated the vaccine into their immunization schedules, adding that the proactive introduction of the HPV vaccine in Senegal in 2018 resulted in a remarkable 90% reduction in high-grade cervical abnormalities among vaccinated women, demonstrating the vaccine’s undeniable effectiveness. 

He said the vaccine introduction would occur in two phases.  

He said, “The first phase will encompass 16 states: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Enugu, Jigawa, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Taraba, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.  

“The second phase is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024 and will encompass the remaining states: Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.” 

He said the federal government had secured over six million doses of the HPV vaccine and essential supplies.  

UNICEF Chief of Health, Dr Eduardo Celades, said the vaccine was safe and had been approved by all relevant global and national health authorities. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) Deputy Country Representative, Dr Alex Chimbaru, said the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the country was a milestone.