¿ES EL MOMENTO DE VACUNAR CONTRA EL VIRUS DEL PAPILOMA HUMANO EN COLOMBIA?

Objective: analysing current evidence regarding proposals for vaccinating the Colombian population against human papilloma virus (HPV). Methodology: assessing HPV vaccine phase III studies (FUTURE I, II and PATRICIA study groups). Comments are made regarding generalising such vaccination amongst the general population, also taking factors limiting their use into consideration. Results: methodological limitations were found when assessing these studies thereby challenging the importance of the efficacy found in such studies such as the choice of inadequate substitutes, analysing results involving heterogeneous primary compounds, analysis by protocol and not by intention to treat, inclusion criteria which did not underpin a general vaccination programme for girls aged younger than 15 and factors which could affect the validity of the studies such as conflicts of interests and sources of sponsorship. Several complications have been reported regarding how the vaccine has been applied, providing better information about this prevention method's real behaviour (i.e. when taken beyond its experimental design stage). Conclusions: there was not sufficient evidence to recommend introducing HPV vaccination within Colombian immunisation schedules when this review was made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]