FDA Approves Glaxo Cervical Cancer Vaccine – Cervarix for HPV

Move over Gardasil, competition is here. Cervarix is already used in over 100 other countries. The HPV virus in some strains is known to cause cancer. As with all recent vaccines today, there remains some controversy and recently in the news the use of Gardasil for men has been discussed. The article states though that Gardasil covers 2 strains that are not in the Cervarix vaccine for genital warts, so it may be tough going for marketing. Gardasil had sales of over a billion last year. BD

(AP) British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline said Friday U.S. regulators approved its vaccine Cervarix to prevent the leading cause of cervical cancer in women.
The approval from the Food and Drug Administration allows Glaxo to compete against Merck's blockbuster vaccine Gardasil, which has been on the market here since 2006.
London-based Glaxo said it expects to launch the vaccine late this year.
Cervarix already is approved in nearly 100 other countries, but had been delayed in the U.S. since 2007, when the FDA requested additional data from the company.

There are more than 100 types of HPV, though about 15 are known to cause cervical cancer.
Cervarix's effectiveness against extra strains of the virus could help differentiate it from Merck's Gardasil, which also protects against HPV 16 and 18, but not other cancerous strains.

FDA Approves Glaxo Cervical Cancer Vaccine - CBS News