Teenagers would only receive a single shot of the 9-valent HPV vaccine under the PBAC’s proposed shake-up of the adolescent vaccination program. 

The upper age limit for a catch-up dose would also be lifted from 20 to 25 years, if the Federal Government accepts recommendations from the committee’s December meeting. 

The suggested updates to the National Immunisation Program listing of Gardasil 9 (CSL Seqirus) followed a request for advice by Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly. 

“On the basis of presented clinical and immunogenicity data, a single dose schedule … is likely to be non-inferior in terms of effectiveness to two doses in the currently eligible population (12-19 years) and therefore likely to be cost effective (and cost saving) at the existing unit price,” it wrote.