Govt in talks with cervical cancer vaccine makers

The Government is currently in talks with two drug manufacturers about supplying a cervical cancer vaccine.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drug cervarix, a new vaccine for preventing cervical cancer, has just been approved by New Zealand's medicine regulator Medsafe.

The Government angered doctors last May when it announced it would not be funding gardasil, another cervical cancer vaccine, in the budget.

Ministry of Health communicable disease and environmental health policy group manager Graeme Gillespie said the Ministry was currently talking with GlaxoSmithKline and CSL-Merck, which makes gardasil, about proposals for supplying a HPV vaccine.

"While we are in the middle of that process we won't be making any announcements."

Whether the vaccine will be funded by the Government is unknown as a spokeswoman for Minister of Health David Cunliffe said he was unable to make any comment on the cervical cancer vaccines at this time.

Although, former Health Minister Peter Hodgson said in May gardasil or a similar vaccine would be at the forefront of considerations in 2008 or 2009.

Both vaccines target strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which are responsible for more than 70 percent of cervical cancers.

Gardasil, which was fast-tracked for use in New Zealand by Medsafe in 2006, was funded by the Australia Government late in 2006 for females aged 12 to 26.

In New Zealand it was available on a doctor's prescription at a cost of $450 for three doses that offered five year's protection.

GSK said cervarix, which was the only HPV vaccine also indicated for women aged 27 to 45, was not yet available for sale and prices might vary across doctors surgeries.

Vaccination is not a substitute for regular cervical screening or for taking precautions against exposure to HPV and sexually transmitted diseases.