Safety of 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine administered to males and females in routine use

John Hansen; Arnold Yee; Ned Lewis; Se Li; Christine Velicer; Patricia Saddier; Nicola P Klein

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.009

Safety of 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine administered to males and females in routine use

Vaccine. 2023 Mar 10;41(11):1819-1825. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.009. Epub 2022 Nov 14.

Authors

John Hansen¹, Arnold Yee², Ned Lewis³, Se Li⁴, Christine Velicer⁵, Patricia Saddier⁶, Nicola P Klein⁷

Affiliations

¹ Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA, USA. Electronic address: john.hansen@kp.org.
² Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA, USA. Electronic address: arnold.yee@kp.org.
³ Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA, USA. Electronic address: ned.lewis@kp.org.
⁴ Epidemiology Department, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Electronic address: se.x.li@gsk.com.
⁵ Epidemiology Department, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Electronic address: christine_velicer@merck.com.
⁶ Epidemiology Department, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA. Electronic address: patricia_saddier@merck.com.
⁷ Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA, USA. Electronic address: nicola.klein@kp.org.

PMID: 36396513
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.009

Abstract

Background: The nine-valent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV9, Gardasil®9) was licensed in the USA in December 2014. This study was a multiyear post-licensure study to assess HPV9 safety following routine administration.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared the risk of emergency department visits and hospitalizations during the interval soon after vaccination with risk during a later interval. Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) members aged ≥ 9 years who received ≥ 1 HPV9 dose between 10/1/2015-9/30/2017 were included. Outcomes were grouped into predefined diagnostic categories. We compared the odds of events in postvaccination risk intervals (days 0-14, days 1-60) with odds of events during control intervals (days 61-75, days 61-120) using conditional logistic regression. We characterized prespecified events on the day of vaccination (allergic reaction and syncope) and all deaths in the study period.

Results: The study included 215,965 individuals receiving ≥ 1 dose of HPV9, of whom 140,628 had no prior HPV vaccination. We observed similar numbers of males and females and racial/ethnic diversity consistent with the underlying population. At first dose median age was 12-13 years and 77% received ≥ 1 concomitant vaccine. Eighteen event categories were significantly elevated, including skin disorders (odds ratio [OR] 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00, 3.53) and ill-defined conditions (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.13, 1.64; category includes abdominal pain, allergic reactions, syncope, etc.). On review, most findings were previously known, preceded vaccination, or had other causes. Allergic reactions and syncope at vaccination were infrequent but many were potentially related. No deaths (n = 37) were considered related to HPV9 and were consistent with the background rate.

Conclusions: We did not identify new safety concerns related to HPV9. The results are consistent with the HPV9 safety profile as established from previous studies/surveillance.

Registration: European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (EUPAS13151, protocol V503-028).

Keywords: 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine; Adolescent vaccines; Vaccine safety.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Female
Human Papillomavirus Viruses
Humans
Male
Papillomavirus Infections* / epidemiology
Papillomavirus Infections* / prevention & control
Papillomavirus Vaccines*
Retrospective Studies
Syncope
Vaccination / adverse effects

Substances

Papillomavirus Vaccines