[Prevention of papillomavirus-associated cancer]

In March 2007, the Directing Board of Italian Agency for Drugs Administration (AIFA) established commercialization and reimbursement rules for the first anti-Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine. HPV free vaccination campaign for a strictly defined age-cohort (12 year old) will start in 2008. HPV-Vaccine will be proposed to approximately 280,000 subjects with an annual charge, for Italian NHS, estimated in 75 millions Euro. For subjects between 13 and 26 years, not included in the designed cohorts, vaccination is available in pharmacies under prescription but at a very high cost (Euro 188 each dose, Euro 564 for the three doses). At the end of 2007 a second HPV vaccine will become available.