LONDON (Reuters):

GlaxoSmithKline's experimental vaccine against a virus that causes cervical cancer could cut the number of cases and deaths from the illness by up to 76 per cent, the drug company said yesterday.

The vaccine known as Cervarix prevents infection from two strains of the human papillomavirus which account for about 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer.

In a computer model study sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and presented at a medical conference in Prague, the researchers predicted the impact the vaccine would have in Britain if all 12 year-old girls were vaccinated.

If coverage was 100 per cent, the company said it could lead to 76 per cent fewer deaths. Eighty per cent vaccine coverage could reduce cases and deaths by 61 per cent, according to the research.