Girls, women in China will have access to drug in wide use globally

The first vaccine for the human papilloma virus has been licensed for use on the Chinese mainland.

Approval by the China Food and Drug Administration means that girls and young women in China will be able to access a preventive vaccine against the virus, which can cause cervical cancer.

Cervarix, produced by Glaxo Smith Kline, has been registered for use in girls and women aged between 9 and 26 with a three dose schedule within six months.

It targets Type 16 and Type 18 HPV strains, which account for more than 84 percent of all HPV cases in China.

The commercial launch of Cervarix is expected in early 2017. The price of the vaccine has not been released yet.

After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second-most-common cancer in women aged 15 to 44 in China.

According to a report last year by the National Cancer Center, China had 98,900 new cervical cancer patients. About 30,500 people died from the disease.

HPV is identified as the chief cause of cervical cancer, and is found in almost all cervical cancer cases.

Two popular HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, are being used in more than 100 countries and regions, including the United States, Australia and most European countries.

As HPV is sexually transmitted, it is usually recommended that the vaccine be given to preteens before they become sexually active.

The vaccine's main target group is girls and women aged 9 to 26, according to Qiao Youlin, a professor of epidemiology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' Cancer Hospital in Beijing.

"Theoretically, the anti-HPV vaccine is effective for women of all ages. The clinical trials discovered that the vaccine is also effective for women as old as 45," Qiao said.

He said that 13 is the generally recommended age to start injections in China.

yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn