
Cervarix, first vaccine for cervical cancer prevention in mainland China, has officially launched
CBI member GSK announced that Cervarix, the first approved vaccine for cervical cancer prevention in mainland China, has been officially launched in the market. The first imported batch of Cervarix has passed inspections by quality inspection authority, and can now be supplied to the market.
This addresses the current high level of unmet medical needs of a great amount of Chinese women within the appropriate age group for a vaccine that can help prevent cervical cancer. Like other vaccines, Cervarix can be vaccinated at community hospitals and health service centres where available.
Professor Youlin Qiao, Head of Epidemiology Department, Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CICAMS) and Peking Union Medical College, said, “Cervical cancer is a common form of malignant tumour that severely threatens the health of women.
There are 100,000 new cases of cervical cancer in China each year, and over 30,000 deaths due to the disease. It is the third most common cancer amongst women from the ages of 15 to 44. For this reason, cervical cancer vaccination together with cervical cancer screening will significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, thus reducing the burden of this disease”.
Please read more here.
GSK aids hepatitis prevention and treatment in poverty-stricken areas of the western region
On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, under the guidance and support of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), GSK and the China Health Promotion Foundation (CHPF) signed a Letter of Intent.
Under the framework of a strategic partnership, GSK will support CHPF to carry out the "Poverty Alleviation and Health Preservation - Hepatitis Prevention and Treatment" programme.
This programme will be in line with the broader strategic aims of China's "Healthy Silk Road" initiative to strengthen academic exchanges and cooperation between the western region and the southeast coastal areas of China, improve the country's prevention and treatment of hepatitis, and enhance the hepatitis prevention system and team capacity building.
To address regional discrepancies in medical treatment standards across the country, the project plans to select hospitals from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to collectively establish the China Hepatitis Prevention Training Institute.
Aimed at supporting Western China, the Institute is expected to train local personnel who will form the backbone of hepatitis prevention and treatment network and drive improvements in the western region’s hepatitis treatment capability. The programme will also establish an expert medical team, which will visit poverty-stricken areas of the western region to carry out grassroots hepatitis prevention and control work, as well as health promotion activities.
In addition, this programme will employ a variety of approaches, including: live events, clinical consultations, health lectures, publicity displays, and media reporting, to further promote health education on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis in Western China.
Please read more here.