LIFE> Health
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LIFE> Health
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Injection of hope
By Wen Chihua (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-04 09:17 After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the world's second most lethal female cancer, affecting 500,000 women a year, more than 100,000 of them in China. More than 70 percent of them are found among rural women. The international medical community says a virus called HPV (human papilloma virus) is a contributing factor. HPV is one of the most common causes of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) in the world. Scientists have discovered more than 60 types of HPV, of which the low-risk types mostly cause genital warts and the higher-risk ones are linked to cervical cancer.
The vaccine Gardasil, developed by American pharmaceutical giant Merck, works by immunizing women and girls against four strains of HPV. A women needs to be injected with three doses of the vaccine within six months in order to be protected. HPV quietly deteriorates the cells in the cervix and invades surrounding tissues. If not detected early, the virus leads to a cancerous lesion. In addition to Xiangyuan, where 600 rural women have already been vaccinated, the same trial of about 1,400 women of the same age group is also taking place in Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Guangdong and Zhejiang. Qiao says this trial is significant as it is the last phase before approval by China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Gardasil is now available in 109 countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. "It seems to be more accessible for the rich, as the price for three doses is about 3,000 yuan," says Qiao, hoping that Merck will implement a two-tier price structure lowering prices for the mainland Chinese market. Asked about the likely price in China, Dr Zili Li, Merck's medical director in China, says: "Our responsibility is to make sure we bring safe and effective vaccines to Chinese women in a timely manner. As for the price, I think it is still too early to discuss it." |
