PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 629 - 28 May 2011 Rwanda initiates cervical cancer prevention programme Rwanda has become the first country on the African continent to initiate a national prevention programme for cervical cancer, reports The Lancet. The programme comprises human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for girls aged 12–15 years and HPV testing for women aged 35–45 years. Donations of 2 million doses of the HPV vaccine Gardasil by Merck, and 250 000 HPV screening tests by diagnostics company Qiagen have made the programme possible, says the article. In addition, Merck has agreed to supply Rwanda with a discounted access price to the vaccine after 3 years.

Cost still a major barrier in Africa The large costs associated with both Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline’s HPV vaccine Cervarix have to date been the biggest barrier to HPV vaccine roll-out in Africa and other developing countries, "where it is most desperately needed", continues the article. Indeed, 85% of deaths attributable to cervical cancer occur in such countries. Rwanda’s new programme is a good step forward, and if sufficient vaccination coverage can be achieved, "could provide a model for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa". However, sustainable financing for HPV vaccination remains a huge issue in Rwanda and other such countries, and without financing mechanisms to make HPV vaccines affordable, "their benefits will not be realised in many low-resource settings", the article concludes. Financing HPV vaccination in developing countries. Lancet 377: 1544, No. 9777, 803054533 7 May 2011. Available from: URL: http://www.thelancet.com

1173-5503/10/0629-0001/$14.95 © 2010 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved

PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 28 May 2011 No. 629

1