MSD’s Gardasil goes on sale in Europe

Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine produced by Merck Sharp & Dohme and marketed by Sanofi Pasteur, was yesterday launched in the UK, according to Reuters, and will continue to be rolled out across the EU.

Last month, the drug was approved for use for all countries in the European Union in female children aged between nine and 15, in addition to adult females aged 16 to 26.

The vaccine is designed to provide immunity against certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which are known to be a key factor in the formation of cervical cancers and other growths.

Reuters reports that the uptake of Gardasil, as well its GlaxoSmithKline rival, Cervarix, which is in a later stage of development, may well depend on the decisions of individual governments for the prescription of the vaccines and who should be dosed with the drugs.

The introduction of Gardasil has been welcomed by cancer charities such as Cancerbackup, which aims to provide comprehensive information on all types of cancer.

Debbie Coats, a senior nurse at Cancerbackup, commented: “Vaccinating against the virus may mean that the majority of cervical cancers could be prevented in the future and we look forward to a national vaccination programme being introduced.”