Can the HPV vaccine be used safely in people allergic to yeast?
William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH: Use of the HPV vaccine in patients who are allergic to yeast depends on the nature of the allergy. A person who has an anaphylactic allergy to Saccaromyces cerevisiae, which is rare, should not receive the vaccine, as it contains a small amount of residual yeast protein. However, many people who claim to be allergic to yeast have symptoms other than anaphylactic-type symptoms. Accordingly, if the allergy they claim is, indeed, anaphylactic, then the physician must proceed with extreme caution. If it is something other than an anaphylactic reaction, the vaccine can be given if it is otherwise indicated. What is the difference between efficacy and effectiveness? Giuliano: Efficacy describes how much benefit is measured for an agent in tightly controlled clinical trials. Efficacy data provides the basis for licensing new products and for writing policy recommendations. What happens in the real world is different. The real world experience is termed effectiven
