As expected, HPV vote tops June ACIP agenda

Prior to the Memorial Day weekend, the first (public) draft of the agenda for the June 29-30 meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was released. As usual, a wide range of topics are slated to be covered in the two days, but attention will overwhelmingly be directed at the first item on the agenda, the recommendation vote for Merck's HPV vaccine, Gardasil. (Technically, this assumes FDA licensure early next month, but all signs suggest this is all but a sure thing.)

The expected ACIP actions next month follow nearly four hours of presentations and discussions on HPV vaccines at the group's last meeting in February. The minutes for that meeting recently surfaced on the ACIP website, and are well worth reading for those interested in data galore on all aspects of HPV vaccines -- from Merck and GSK's research data, to cost-effectiveness studies, to analyses of possible behavioral consequences of vaccination, and more.

It's worth repeating that while the ACIP recommendation is very significant, the ultimate decision as to whether HPV vaccination will be mandated as a condition of school attendance is the responsibility of each state. Since that appears to be the key point of contention for critics of the vaccine, the federal actions expected in the next month will likely only mark the start of months of deliberation, lobbying, and scrutiny centering on each state's department of health.

A final 'program note': we'll be in Atlanta for the meeting and will be posting extensively here on the discussions and decisions that take place.