Xiamen, 14th October, 2021 – A new vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), manufactured by Xiamen Innovax Biotech CO., LTD., a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmaceutical Co., LTD., has received prequalification by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The vaccine, named Cecolin® is designed to protect against HPV types 16 and 18, a sexually-transmitted virus that can cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers, the most common virus types that lead to cervical cancer in women. WHO prequalification—which ensures a vaccine meets strict international quality, safety, and efficacy standards—allows Cecolin®, which is licensed for use in China, to be procured by United Nations agencies and Gavi, and prequalification facilitates it to be registered in other countries—a critical step in expanding vaccine access. Countries facing barriers to national introduction or expanding their HPV immunization program to the full cohort, due to affordability or supply constraints, will now have another option for sustainable access.
WHO’s global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer calls on countries to fully vaccinate 90 percent of girls with HPV vaccine by age 15 by the year 2030. Currently, 28 low- and lower-middle-income countries deliver HPV vaccine as part of their national immunization program.
More information available at https://www.path.org/media-center/new-hpv-vaccine-innovax-receives-who-prequalification/ ; https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/who-clears-hpv-shot-from-china-s-innovax-to-ease-global-shortage ; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304383519306044 ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019098/ ; http://www.innovax.cn/en/news_view.aspx?newsCateid=56&cateid=56&NewsId=1020 ; http://www.news.cn/english/2021-10/17/c_1310251153.htm
