GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said the vaccine had been approved and registered by the Medicines Control Council.

GSK medical director Navin Singh said the registration was a great step forward, as more women developed and died of cervical cancer than any other type of cancer in South Africa.

A woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer in her lifetime was one in 26.

“The decision to approve GSK’s cervical cancer vaccine represents a great step forward for all South African women.

“Physicians will now have access to this important vaccine to help protect women against this disease,” he said.

The vaccine is a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine indicated for the prevention of pre-cancerous cervical lesions associated with the most common cervical cancer-causing HPV types 16 and 18. The vaccine is formulated with a proprietary adjuvant system called AS04, which is designed to enhance the immune response and increase the duration of protection against cancer-causing virus types.

Protection strategies against cervical cancer should include routine screening together with a vaccine designed to provide targeted protection. — Sapa