Early use of the HPV 2-dose vaccination schedule: Leveraging evidence to support policy for accelerated impact

Although human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were initially licensed based on efficacy after three-dose regimens in women aged 15–26 years, it was recognized early in clinical development that comparable immunogenicity could be obtained after just two doses when administered to younger girls. In both Canada and Mexico, public health authorities made the decision to administer two doses 6 months apart with a planned additional dose at 60 months, while simultaneously doing further study to determine if the third dose would confer meaningful additional benefit. This delayed third dose approach permitted a more cost-effective program with opportunities for improved compliance while minimizing injections and leaving open the opportunity to provide a full three-dose vaccination series. It required close cooperation across many governmental and civil society leadership bodies and real-time access to emerging data on HPV vaccine effectiveness. Although still limited, there is increasing evidence that even one-dose vaccination is sufficient to provide prolonged protection against HPV infection and associated diseases. Ongoing clinical trials and ecological studies are expected to consolidate existing data regarding one dose schedule use. However, to accelerate the preventive effect of HPV vaccination some jurisdictions, in particular those with limited resources may already consider the initiation of a one dose vaccination with the possibility of giving the second dose later in life if judged necessary. Such an approach would facilitate vaccination implementation and might permit larger catch-up vaccination programs in older girls (or as appropriate, girls and boys), thereby accelerating the impact on cervical cancer and other HPV-associated diseases.