Bligh demands Abbott step in and get the cervical cancer drug available

It is ridiculous that schoolgirls in the United States might be accessing GARDASIL – the Australian-developed cervical cancer vaccine - as part of an immunisation program, before their counterparts in Australia, Acting Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said this evening.

The Federal Department of Health and Ageing confirmed today that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has advised that it has not recommended the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), marketed as GARDASIL(r), for listing on the National Immunisation Program at this time.

“This effectively denies Australian girls and women the capacity to protect themselves from a very insidious killer.

“Every woman who goes to have a pap smear lives with the fear of a positive result.

“You live with that for 40 or 50 years of your life and we have the capacity to protect girls from this disease.

“We should be doing everything we can to make sure this is available to all and now.

“Tony Abbott (Federal Health Minister) should use whatever power he has to step in and solve this.

“This is a drug being used in other countries and some committee in Canberra is denying its access to Australian women.

“This is a classic example of Australia pulling down its own tall poppies.

The drug has been developed in Queensland by a team headed by Australian and Queenslander of the Year Professor Ian Frazer.

After 20 years research they developed the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, which affects 500,000 women each year. The vaccine has the potential to virtually eradicate cervical cancer within a generation.

“There is also the possibility that such a pronouncement out of Canberra runs the serious risk of putting at risk the international reputation of this drug.

“This may well affect its take up, especially in third world countries where it has the potential to do the most amount of good.

Ms Bligh said that the clinical trials for this drug were outstanding.

“Of the women across the world tested in its development it achieved an outstanding 100% response.

“As well, five years after treatment the level of antibodies present was the same as that two years after treatment.

“If the PBAC required more information they should have sought it before they released these implied criticisms,” she said.

The PBAC also found that it is not cost effective for taxpayers at this time to fund GARDASIL(r) on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) at the price proposed by the sponsoring company.

Ms Bligh seriously questioned this as an issue given the Federal Government’s surplus budget position.

The PBAC said that today’s decision does not necessarily impact on the proposed timetable of implementing a vaccination program to commence from the beginning of the 2008 school year in the event of a positive recommendation from PBAC in 2007.

“It is too late to address this in March next year. If there is to be an immunization program by 2008 time cannot be wasted.

“This is different to other immunization programs in that it is a first and there is a need for a high quality education program to make sure it is understood.

Media Contact: Deputy Premier’s Office – 3224 4379 - 0408 720 081