The federal government's plan for a $300-million immunization campaign to prevent HPV, a virus that causes cervical cancer, should be halted until further study can be done, says a Canadian researcher.

"What's the rush? Why can't we get the information that we need first?" Abby Lippman, a professor in the department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal, told CBC News.

A course of the vaccine Gardasil, developed by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., costs $404.
(Associated Press)

"There's a potential for unexpected effects, so why don't we get this information to make sure that we have a system in place that will really protect and promote women's health?"

Though she conceded "we will never have all of the answers," Lippman wants a thorough governmental review of the vaccine's safety, cost and uses before a large-scale immunization program is initiated.

And she suggested certain programs, such an immunization registry, be established to track patients, should the first round of vaccinations prove ineffective and follow-up immunizations be warranted.

"Let's take the time and do this right," says Lippman.

Lippman's report, titled "Human papillomavirus, vaccines and women's health: questions and cautions," was published Wednesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The article coincides with an announcement from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Thursday. Ontario plans to offer free HPV vaccinations to close to 85,000 teenaged girls in Ontario this fall.

Premier McGuinty is set to make the announcement this morning at Women's College Hospital in Toronto.

Ontario's $39-million program is part of the federal government's $300 million in funding for HPV vaccinations announced this spring.

Lippman said she's not sure why the government is pushing ahead with a costly vaccination program when scientific evidence of the vaccine's efficiency and safety is lacking. 

'Why can't we get the information that we need first?'— Abby Lippman, McGill professor

She says only 1,200 girls aged 9 to 15 were enrolled in clinical trials of Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.'s Gardasil, the vaccine selected by the federal government. The youngest were only tracked for 18 months.

"Clearly, this is a thin information base on which to construct a policy of mass vaccination for all girls aged 9 to 13," states the report.

As well, the vaccine is expensive, selling for $404 for the three required doses, said Lippman, and cost-effectiveness analyses of proposed vaccination programs needed to evaluate the expense are missing.

So why is the federal government paying for such a vaccination program?

"Some people are going to profit by this," said Lippman.

As well, she noted that a new vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline, Cervarix, will be entering the market next year.

"Maybe that will be better for Canada. We don't know that," she said.

Cervical cancer not an epidemic

Lippman said women should be reminded that cervical cancer is "not an epidemic," leading to the deaths of approximately 400 women a year — a number that is declining, according to the report.

It also notes that cervical cancer is the 11th-most frequent cancer affecting Canadian women and 13th-most common cause of cancer-related deaths.

As well, she said, HPV does not necessarily lead to cancer.

"Most HPV infections are cleared spontaneously, within one year for about 70 per cent of women and within two years for 90 per cent. Cervical cancer will not develop in most women who are infected with even a high-risk strain of HPV," said the report.

The article stated that women will also still have to use safe-sex practices, and get annual Pap smears that detect abnormal cervical cells that could signal cancer.

"The vaccine is not a magic bullet," said Lippman.