A study carried out at the Harvard School of Public Health discovered that cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil might be cost-effective only if administered to females under the age of 12. The findings are important because they show that the US recommendations according to which the vaccine should be administered to women under 26 years of age might imply too greater costs to be worth it.

Gardasil is a vaccine developed by Merck & Co. and gives immunity against four strains of the human papillomavirus, a widespread disease that is transmitted through sexual activity. The vaccine fights against four of the many strains that the virus has, two of the four being responsible for 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer. The other two strains are causing genital warts.

However, the vaccine does not provide 100 percent protection against cervical cancer, but, in theory, should be pretty effective.

The researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health calculated that the cost of the vaccine raises to $43,600 per quality adjusted life year, if administered to girls under the age of 12. This figure is considered acceptable in most of the developed countries. However the cost goes up to $97,300 if administered to women under 18, and to $152,700 for women under 26.

Some experts think that while the study offers a pretty good estimate of the actual values, the fact that it was carried out using computer simulations could mean that in real life things might not go exactly as the study says. What is more, the study considers the vaccine to offer life-long immunity. If this assumption turns out to be wrong, the costs might be even higher.