GlaxoSmithKline has won another European contract for the cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix. The Dutch government selected Cervarix for a new program to vaccinate all girls aged 12 with a catch-up program for girls aged 13 to 16 in the second half of 2009. In the first year some 350,000 Dutch girls will get the jab.
Cervarix won out over Merck's Gardasil in the Netherlands, but has yet to be approved in the United States. That makes European market penetration vital for Glaxo.
"We are delighted with this decision and the fact that since Cervarix received European approval it has been selected as the cervical cancer vaccine for more than half of eligible tenders across Europe," said Eddie Gray, president of Pharmaceuticals Europe for GSK. "We look forward to working with the Netherlands Vaccine Institute." Globally, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
- check out GSK's release