CHINA

China’s First Homegrown 9-Valent HPV Vaccine Challenges Merck’s Retreat

Published: Jul. 17, 2026 2:14 p.m. GMT+8

00:00

00:00/00:00

Listen to this article 1x

China’s first domestically made nine-valent HPV vaccine, Cecolin 9, in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, Sept. 23, 2025. Photo: VCG

China’s first domestically produced nine-valent HPV vaccine has demonstrated a near-perfect protection rate in late-stage clinical trials, positioning the homegrown shot to capture a massive market recently abandoned by U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc.

Results published recently in The Lancet Infectious Diseases reveal that Cecolin 9, manufactured by Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd., offers up to 100% protection against persistent infections caused by key high-risk human papillomavirus strains.

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Save an extra $50. Introductory offer for new readers. Subscribe now.

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

DIGEST HUB

Digest Hub

Back

Explore the story in 30 seconds

Cecolin 9, from Wantai/Innovax, showed up to 100% efficacy against persistent high-risk HPV infections in Phase 3 trials published in The Lancet.
Priced at $73/dose, it captures the market abandoned by Merck, which suspended Gardasil 9 supply to China in Feb 2025 due to weak demand.
Wantai's Q1 2026 revenue surged 30.6% driven by Cecolin 9's domestic rollout, with a WHO prequalification submission underway for global expansion.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2024：: Merck's Gardasil 9 was in severe shortage in China; domestic bivalent vaccines from Wantai and Walvax emerged; batch issuance of Gardasil 9 handled by Zhifei fell by 14.8% year-on-year to approximately 31.14 million doses.

February 4, 2025：: Merck announced it would suspend the supply of its HPV vaccines to the Chinese market.

May 2025：: Cecolin 9 secured regulatory approval in China.

As of May 30, 2026：: Cecolin 9 had gained market access in all 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland, available at approximately 2,300 disease control centers and 13,000 vaccination points.