The Government of Rwanda, QIAGEN N.V. and Merck announced “the launch of a comprehensive national cervical cancer prevention program that includes vaccination with GARDASIL [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for appropriate girls 12 to 15 years of age and modern molecular diagnostic screening for women between the ages of 35 and 45.” Rwanda “is the first nation in Africa to offer a comprehensive prevention program that incorporates both HPV vaccination and HPV testing.” Rwanda has a population of 2.72 million women ages 15 years and older. Cervical cancer ranks as the most frequent cancer in women of all ages in Rwanda. Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, commented, “It is our goal to create a comprehensive, coordinated program that includes HPV vaccination, cancer screening with HPV DNA testing, and treatment in order to address the nation’s unmet needs for cervical cancer-related health services. This vaccination and screening program brings us one step closer to reaching our goal of protecting the girls and women in our country. We are pleased to have the support of Merck and QIAGEN on this important government initiative.”
Merck “will provide more than two million doses of GARDASIL to the Government of Rwanda at no cost, while QIAGEN will provide 250,000 HPV screening tests at no cost along with all necessary equipment and training to successfully perform the tests. Thereafter, the Government of Rwanda will continue routine vaccination of appropriate 12 year old girls, and Merck will provide GARDASIL at a discounted access price that is made available for national vaccination programs in GAVI-eligible countries. Similarly, QIAGEN will make its HPV tests accessible under a tiered-market pricing structure designed to enable developing countries to establish and maintain the use of HPV testing within national cervical cancer screening and treatment programs.”
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 