China rolls out indigenously developed vaccine for cervical cancer prevention

ANKARA

China has rolled out its first indigenously developed nine-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to expand cervical cancer protection for women, state media reported Wednesday.

The first dose of the vaccine, which broke the more than decade-long market dominance held by foreign products, was administered Tuesday in the city of Xiamen, for cervical cancer protection for females aged 9 to 45, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

The Cecolin 9 vaccine was developed by the Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen University and Wantai BioPharm.

Since 2019, the vaccine has been tested in five clinical trials nationwide that have enrolled more than 11,000 volunteers aged 9 to 45, obtaining solid research data.

The launch makes China the second country in the world, after the US, with the capability to independently supply high-valency HPV vaccines.

Girls aged between 9 and 17 will need two doses of the vaccine, while women aged 18 to 45 require three.

With 530,000 cases reported annually, cervical cancer is among the most common cancers in women worldwide.

If administered correctly, the HPV vaccine is 94% effective in preventing infection.