On April 21, the first batch of 93,643 bivalent HPV vaccine was approved by National Medical Products Administration. This not only means that the public can get access to domestic cervical cancer vaccine from now on, but also marks that China has officially become the world's third country to achieve independent supply of cervical cancer vaccine following the United States and the United Kingdom. From May onward, most community hospitals in Hubei, Xinjiang, Jilin, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Shandong and other provinces will successively accept appointments for vaccination, which is expected to be available nationwide by the end of the year.

  The vaccine has been jointly developed by Xiamen university and Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China's YangShengTang Group (hereinafter referred to as INNOVAX). It took 18 years for both sides to see their brainchild born and finally approved on December 30, 2019.

  This China’s first cervical cancer vaccine, which is tailored for women aged between 9 and 45, has a protective effect on two HPV genotypes including HPV 16 and 18. Compared with the more pricey imported vaccines, the domestic vaccine costs 329 yuan per shot, the two-dose vaccine costs 658 yuan for women aged 9-14 years, and the three-dose vaccine costs 987 yuan for women aged 15-45. With wider age range and more affordable prices, China’s vaccine will greatly drive up the vaccination rate and play a  pivotal role in the prevention and control of cervical cancer in China.

In addition to the bivalent cervical cancer vaccine, XMU and INNOVAX are also forging ahead with the development of high-valent cervical cancer vaccines at the same time. At present, the phase II clinical trials of the second-generation cervical cancer vaccine (9-valent) have been completed, and phase III trials will start soon. The third-generation 20-valent vaccine has already achieved a significant breakthrough in key technology (see the results published in Nature Communications in 2018). On September 6, 2019, XMU, along with INNOVAX, signed a global alliance partnership agreement with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to jointly develop a new generation of cervical cancer vaccine that meets the WHO quality standards as well as those of China, Europe and the United States on the combined strength of China’s vaccine antigen technology and GSK adjuvant technology.

Source: School of Public Health