THE manufacturers of a cervical cancer vaccine have said a decision in France to ban advertisements exaggerating the benefits of the jab will have no impact in Ireland.

An inquiry into a marketing campaign in France found that Gardasil was being touted as having much longer efficacy than had ever been proven, documents have shown.

In the adverts, Gardasil was claimed to work for more than eight years when in fact its maximum effectiveness is proven at four and a half years.

The ad campaign was also found to have been making exaggerated claims about what the vaccine could be used for and what it would prevent.

The French committee of inquiry said claims were also made about the vaccine's impact on mortality that were not proven and would not become apparent for at least 15 years.

In its final decision, the authorities in France decided to ban the award-winning Gardasil advertising campaign 'One Less Victim'.

Manufacturer Sanofli-Pasteur in Ireland said it accepted the decision of the French authorities but would not comment further on its specifics.

A spokeswoman said: "This decision has no impact on Ireland at all as we have totally different marketing campaigns for Gardasil. The French situation is totally different as far as we are concerned."