Glaxo submits cervical cancer vaccine marketing application to European regulators

Glaxo submits cervical cancer vaccine marketing application to European regulators

	Published : Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:05 By : Amy Watts Print this Story

LONDON - In the hope of becoming the first company to get the cervical cancer vaccine onto the market in Europe, Glaxo SmithKline has registered its product, Cervarix with European regulators. Glaxo hopes to get the clearance to market the vaccine within the year.

Britain's biggest drug maker is in a sort of dogfight with US pharmaceuticals giant Merck, which just registered its vaccine, Gardasil with the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA).

Merck is already ahead in the US market where Gardasil has already been registered. Glaxo is planning to register Cervarix in the US later this year. "Eleven years ago people first isolated HPV as an agent of cervical cancer. It is a great milestone that 11 years later we are filing to prevent it," said Andrew Witty, president of Glaxo's European wing.

"We developed this vaccine with the ambition to provide all women with the best possible protection against cervical cancer throughout their life and are delighted with the progress we are making towards bringing the vaccine to market."

Cervical cancer is the second biggest cancer that is prevalent in women. Around 500,000 new cases occur worldwide. It is also the third leading cause of death in women with any form of cancer. Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), which is easily transmitted through close contact. This particular vaccine targets HPV 16 and 18, which account for nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancers.

Commenting about the importance of vaccination for the cancer, Dr Anne Szarewski of Cancer Research UK said, "In my opinion, HPV vaccination will significantly reduce not only the health burden caused by cervical cancer, but also the anxiety suffered by women around Pap smears and particularly around abnormal results. It has the potential to revolutionize women's health."