GAVI announced “a new record low price for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (which) will help ensure millions of girls in developing countries can be protected against cervical cancer.” UNICEF acted as procurement partner for the GAVI Alliance in running a public tender process, and, under the new GAVI HPV Vaccine Programme, will now purchase HPV vaccines from Merck & Co. at US$ 4.50 per dose and from GlaxoSmithKline at US$ 4.60 per dose for the award period, 2013-2017. Additionally, Merck has agreed to extend significantly lower prices to GAVI if total volumes increase in the future.

GAVI said its “market shaping efforts…work to address market failures for vaccines by aggregating volume, increasing certainty of demand, stimulating competition where possible and ensuring that a sufficient quantity of appropriate, quality vaccines is available through a diverse manufacturer base at affordable and sustainable prices.” GAVI noted that among stakeholders involved are WHO, PATH, UNICEF, UNFPA, National Cancer Institute, World Bank, Union for International Cancer Control, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, UNAIDS, International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the US Centers for Disease Control. GAVI also said that in addition to “bringing down dramatically the price of the HPV vaccines, GAVI has also helped to halve the time lag that can exist in getting new vaccines out to poor countries, down to just six years. Since GAVI began accepting applications for HPV vaccines support in 2012 it has received unprecedented demand, with 15 countries applying last year and a further 15 to 20 expected this year.”

Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, commented, “A vast health gap currently exists between girls in rich and poor countries. With GAVI’s programmes we can begin to bridge that gap so that all girls can be protected against cervical cancer no matter where they are born. By 2020 we hope to reach more than 30 million girls in more than 40 countries. This is a transformational moment for the health of women and girls across the world. We thank the manufacturers for working with us to help make this happen.” GAVI will begin support for HPV vaccines in Kenya as early as this month followed by Ghana, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Full media release: http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/2013/hpv-price-announcement/

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced “a new commitment to the GAVI Alliance to supply its cervical cancer vaccine as part of a new long term programme to help protect girls against cervical cancer in the world’s poorest countries.” To start the programme and over the next two years, GSK will supply doses of Cervarix® (Human Papillomavirus vaccine [Types 16, 18] (Recombinant, adjuvanted, adsorbed)) to four new GAVI demonstration projects at a significantly discounted price of $4.60 per dose. Christophe Weber, President and General Manager, GSK Vaccines, said, “Cervical cancer is a significant issue especially in poorer countries where the availability of screening is limited. We are pleased to be expanding our commitment to GAVI by delivering our Cervarix^® vaccine to help protect girls in the developing world. This continues our significant commitment to make our vaccines accessible to as many people as possible, no matter where in the world they live. We hope that this will help reduce the burden of cervical cancer and positively impact future generations.”
Full media release:
http://www.gsk.com/media/press-releases/2013/gsk-enters-new-commitment-with-the-gavi-alliance-to-supply-cervi.html

Merck/MSD announced an award for “a significant portion of the UNICEF human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine tender, and will provide sustained supply of GARDASIL^® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] to GAVI-eligible countries.” Through this initial tender award, Merck said it expects to supply approximately 2.4 million doses of GARDASIL to GAVI-eligible countries between 2013 to 2017 to help meet vaccine demand for countries already approved or recommended for approval by GAVI for HPV vaccine demonstration projects and national introductions. Julie L. Gerberding, M.D., president, Merck Vaccines, said, “It is essential that every young girl around the world have access to HPV vaccines. Today’s decision by UNICEF is an important step forward. This partnership highlights Merck’s commitment to working closely with GAVI to ensure broad and sustained access to GARDASIL in the world’s poorest countries, where the burden of cervical cancer is greatest.”
Full media release: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130509005227/en/GARDASIL%C2%AE-Human-Papillomavirus-Quadrivalent-Types-6-11