World's First Cervical Cancer Vaccine to go on Sale

The world's first and only cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil, which has proved effective against the virus that causes most cervical cancers, may go on sale within weeks, the company marketing it said.

The vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc. has proved 100 percent effective against the two main strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which trigger most cervical cancers, reported the online edition of Daily Mail.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this vaccine last month.

Sanofi Pasteur MSD, the European company which is marketing Gardasil, received a "positive opinion" from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use just seven months after applying for a licence.

The European Commission is now expected to grant an authorisation for marketing it by September - at least three months ahead of schedule.

Cervical cancer kills nearly 4,000 women in the US annually and nearly 300,000 worldwide, according to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition.

Gardasil protects against four HPV strains, as well as a number of conditions caused by the virus, including genital warts.

The cost of the vaccine has not yet been decided. Analysts believe it could cost 60 pounds per dose, with patients needing three treatments.

Another cervical cancer vaccine, called Cervarix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is still going through the licensing process.

It was submitted for a licence in March and could take another three months to reach the same stage as Gardasil.

(Source: IANS)