The new vaccine Gardasil could prevent 70 percent of cervical cancers, but some experts say its high cost may be preventing some women from receiving the immunization.
Gardasil is a recently-released vaccine that prevents human papillomavirus ““ HPV ““ types 6, 11, 16 and 18, the four strains of the virus that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts, according to Reuters Health Administration.
The National Cervical Cancer Coalition reports there are 370,000 identified cases of cervical cancer yearly.
But according to a paper by doctors with the International Aids Vaccination Initiative, the cost could pose problems for some women.
“HPV vaccine prices will be much more expensive than … traditional vaccines,” and there will be “major cost and financing challenges,” the paper stated.
The vaccine is available at UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, but could cost up to $405, depending on insurance coverage.
And though the cost may seem daunting to some students, Ashe Center nurse practitioner Evi Desser said the benefits outweigh the costs.
“There are very few women for whom I would not recommend this,” she said. “Nuns and anyone else who plans on having no sexual contact for their entire lives, which is very few of us. There’s really no need for them (to have this shot). But, then again … anything could happen.”
She said the Ashe Center has given about 40 Gardasil shots per week since it became available in midsummer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 percent of sexually active women will contract a form of HPV by age 50. More than 50 percent of people who are currently sexually active have some form of HPV, though the majority carry harmless strains of the virus.
The governor of Texas, the state with the second-highest rate of cervical cancer, recently signed an executive order mandating that girls aged 11 to 12 entering sixth grade receive the vaccination and making it available to all women between the ages of 9 and 21. The opposition to enforcing the vaccine has been from religious groups who say HPV being vaccinated could encourage girls to have sex.
Since releasing the vaccine for public use this summer, Merck has set the price at $360 in the United States and up to $100 more in Europe. The vaccine is available worldwide for varying costs.
Most insurance companies, including the university’s SHIP program, cover only part of the cost of the vaccine. SHIP will cover 90 percent of the cost of any vaccine after the $250 deductible has been paid.
Some experts said because cervical cancer is more common in poor countries, the high cost of the HPV vaccine is problematic.
HPV-related diseases cost the United States more than $5 billion dollars a year, including screening for the disease, follow-up care and ensuing treatment, according to Physicians Weekly.
After losing her cousin suddenly to cervical cancer last year, Kaycee Gelera, a second-year biochemistry student, said that when it comes to Gardasil, “money isn’t the object.”
HPV can be costly from an emotional point of view as well, Desser said, noting that someone could go through cancer or have to tell sexual partners about the possibility of genital warts.
Dresser said women at UCLA are in three categories in terms of cost.
Students with SHIP who have already paid the deductible pay 10 percent of the cost of the dose.
Students with SHIP who have not paid any of the deductible pay $135 for the first dose and $115 for the second shot. After the first two doses, the deductible has been met, and patients pay 10 percent of the cost for the third dose.
Then there are students without SHIP, who either pay $135 each time or consult their individual insurance providers to see how much is covered.
Laurie Berger, a second-year art student, falls into the third category. She has Aetna, an outside insurance provider, and “they covered everything. All I had to pay for was the co-pay for visiting the doctor.”
Desser said different insurance plans can affect students’ abilities to get Gardasil.
“If a student were unable to pay for the shots now, I would say that looking for an insurance company that will pay for it in the future would be something to consider,” Desser said.
Some clinics outside UCLA offer the vaccine for women without insurance, including Planned Parenthood in Santa Monica, which charges $120 per dose.
With reports from Bruin wire services.