Following reports that young women, who had been given the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, had experienced complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has completed a scientific review of evidence.
To date, more than 80 million girls and women worldwide have now received these vaccines and in some European countries they have been given to 90 per cent of the age group recommended for vaccination. Use of these vaccines is expected to prevent many cases of cervical cancer which is responsible for over 20,000 deaths in Europe each year.
The review concluded that the evidence does not support a causal link between the vaccines (Cervarix, Gardasil/Silgard and Gardasil-9) and development of CRPS or POTS. Reports of CRPS and POTS after HPV vaccination were said to be consistent with what would be expected in this age group.
As a result, EMA has said that there’s no reason to change the way the vaccines are used or amend the current product information. The HPV vaccine protects young women from cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers and pre-cancerous conditions.
‘The new EMA risk assessment report on the safety of the HPV vaccine should build confidence among those who have expressed safety concerns about this vaccine,’ commented Dr Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, ‘as well as those administering the vaccines and making policy decisions. he news, of course, does not alleviate the stress and anxieties that young girls and their parents went through, but hopefully the de-linking of the reported symptoms with the vaccine will help focus attention on other causes that might have prompted the reported adverse events to ensure an appropriate response.’
