Protection from Cervical Cancer Hindered by Market Rivalry

Tuesday 16 April 2013, Amsterdam

The new report, "Adult and Adolescent Vaccines Market to 2018 - Promising Novel Candidates in Late-Stage Development and Prevnar Approval for Use in Adults to Drive Growth", shows that existing cervical cancer vaccines, GSK’s Cervarix and Merck’s Gardasil, are competing against each other for valuable market share in a highly rewarding market segment.

The global vaccines market is highly fragmented, and national health authorities can have dramatically differing requirements and regulations, delaying the introduction of some vaccines across global markets. The inclusion of any vaccine into a national immunization schedule promises widespread immunization coverage for the population, and increases the potential for huge revenues for the company.

Despite the European Commission approving Cervarix in 2007, the vaccine was only approved in the US two years later, resulting in a monopoly for competing vaccine Gardasil in the US during this period. Gardasil has also now been approved for use in men to prevent genital warts and anal cancer caused due to human papillomavirus infection, providing the drug with a further strength against competing products.

Cervical cancer vaccines are essentially prophylactic vaccines that prevent against the infection of HPV, which is responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases in women. HPV vaccines have been found to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer, an area with a high disease burden, and various countries are consequently offering vaccinations for all young girls as a widespread preventative measure. In addition to this, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now also recommends that all 11–12 year old males get vaccinated against HPV, as this will decrease the risk for male genital warts, and reduce the potential for HPV transmission in the future.

Various other high-burden diseases are still urgently in need of vaccines, with HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis representing some of the most pressing health concerns of many governments across the world. HPV vaccines may herald a new era of preventative medicine, as major diseases are stopped before they ever start.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines market for adults and adolescents across the US, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, the UK and Japan is expected to grow from a strong value of US$1.8 billion in 2011 to US$2.2 billion in 2018. Revenue from HPV vaccines peaked in 2008, following the initiation of nationwide immunization programs, but the anticipated treatment of all children and the high cost of HPV vaccinations, at over US$100 per person, secures this market’s futu