Vaccine for cervical cancer arrives on mainland after approval by authorities

Initial shipments of Cervarix, the first vaccine for cervical cancer to be approved for use on the Chinese mainland, has passed inspection by Chinese quality authorities and is heading to health clinics across the country, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline said on Monday.

Cervarix, developed by GSK, was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration in July last year. Imported from Belgium, the first batch of nearly 275,000 doses of vaccine arrived in China, beginning in Chongqing and Nanchang, Jiangxi province, said Susan Song, a communications manager at GSK China.

The vaccine will meet the needs of a great number of Chinese women, the company said in a statement.