GSK Victory a Shot in the Arm for HPV Vaccine

(Beijing) – For the first time, China's drug regulators have given a green light to the commercial sale of a vaccine designed to protect women and men against the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The decision opened a door for multinational and Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers that are now preparing for a market potentially worth billions of U.S. dollars.

Britain's GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said July 18 that its HPV vaccine Cervarix had been approved for sale on the mainland by the China Food and Drug Administration, and that the product would likely be available across the country early next year.