By 2006 end women could get vaccination against cervical cancer

By 2006 end women could get vaccination against cervical cancer

Gardasil, a vaccine-in-the-making against cervical cancer jointly developed by Merck & Co. Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis SA through their joint venture Sanofi Pasteur MSD has been placed for regulatory approval both in US and Europe.

On Monday, officials from the joint venture confirmed of a marketing authorization application put before the European Medicines Agency for Sanofi Pasteur MSD to sell the product in Europe.

However the filings in the U.S. and Europe confirmed Gardasil's edge over Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline stable that will most probably come up for European approval by mid-2006. Also with Glaxo not likely to consider U.S. filing before end-December, it appears that this advantage will be pressed further in favor of Sanofi Pasteur MSD. With both Gardasil and Cervarix being equally stacked in clinical trials as far as efficacy against strains of cancer causing strains of human papillomavirus, time may become the differentiator.

The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) is known to cause nearly 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer. This form of cancer is the second-most fatal cancer in women and is believed to affect 75 to 80 million across the US and Europe alone. Currently women try to catch the disease in its early stages by taking smear tests every three to five years. Though the chances of survival are high, for many the disease goes undetected and therefore fatal.

But the vaccines have been shrouded in some controversy on account of the suggestion of its suitability for girls aged ten and above to protect them even before they commence sexual activity. Many parents feel that at such a young age a vaccination against a sexual disease is unwarranted. Some opine that such a vaccination could promote sex at such a young age. Irrespective of the way parents feel, the vaccines have been amongst the most keenly viewed emerging products in both company portfolios, suggestive of a market waiting to lap them up.

Industry analysts opine that by the time Glaxo submits Cervarix for approval in the US, Gardasil may be well on the way to getting its approval. If however Glaxo delays further till 2007, the market may not receive Cervarix as well as Gardasil. With the market expected to grow by 2010 to $4 to $7 billion in yearly sales, Gardasil that it is likely to receive its European license by end 2006 stands to gain by being the first-off-the-block.