China approves GSK's HPV vaccine

HPV vaccine. [Photo from web]

The Chinese mainland government has approved the use of HPV vaccine in a move that could potentially help millions of females, reported yicai.com on Monday.

GlaxoSmithKline PLC's (GSK) announced its Cervarix, the first vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV), has been approved for use in the mainland by the mainland's Food and Drug Administration.

The vaccine is already in use in more than a hundred nations and regions to prevent cervical cancer.

Glaxo said Cervarix is registered in the Chinese mainland for use in girls and women between nine and 25 years old with three doses in total. The commercial launch of Cervarix is expected in early 2017.

The price is expected to be lower than in Hong Kong.

Ji Haiwei, GSK China President, said the company has a clear strategy to make the drugs and vaccines more readily available.

"To reach the goal, we will explore an innovative pricing method, and we also expect Cervarix to be included in the Expanded Program on Immunization," said Ji.

So far, the price of HPV vaccine with three doses in Hong Kong ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 yuan ($299-$597).

A source estimated the price of three doses in the Chinese mainland could be within a thousand yuan given GSK's low-price strategy since last year.

Public information shows some domestic medicine companies are carrying out the third phase of the HPV vaccine.

Data show that two million visited Hong Kong from Chinese mainland to receive HPV vaccine each year.

The market scale is reportedly considerable. Cervical cancer is the second top cancer among Chinese female aged 15 to 44 and one of the most deadly cancers as 130,000 new cases occur each year.

Based on the experience of many countries, HPV vaccine and annual cervical cancer screening can lower the morbidity of cervical cancer.