Gardasil HPV vaccine is a sterile intramuscular injection preparation that contains HPV type 6, 11, 16, and 18 distilled inactive proteins.
Structural, virus-like proteins (VLP) that mimic the HPV virus are the proteins in Gardasil. Proteins can stimulate the immune system, but they can not contribute to the virus replicating. In yeast cells (S. cerevisiae), viral proteins used in Gardasil are produced using recombinant technology. The VLPs, together with a catalyst (amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate) and a purification buffer, are filtered until released from yeast cells.
Human papillomavirus causes cancer of the cervix, cervical adenocarcinoma, vaginal cancer, genital warts, and anal cancer. Gardasil works by activating the immune system to attack HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. The body’s immune system identifies the viral proteins in Gardasil as foreign and produces antibodies to them once Gardasil is administered, thereby providing immunity from potential infections. The body will already be prepared to combat the infection in the event of HPV exposure following vaccination. Types 6, 11, 16, and 18 of HPV are usually related to HPV infections. HPV 16 and 18 cause 70 percent of cervical cancer, and about 90 percent of genital warts are caused by HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18. In June 2007, the FDA approved Gardasil.
