Extended age range can cool overheated HPV vaccine market

The National Medical Products Administration has expanded the use of Gardasil 9, a 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine created by global pharmaceutical giant Merck. Earlier limited for use by females aged 16 to 26, it can now be administered to females aged 9 to 45.

The decision, taken on Tuesday on the basis of clinical trials, is expected to cool down the overheated domestic HPV vaccine market.

The earlier upper age limit of 26 had contributed to fierce pursuit of the drug and much anxiety among women who were nearing 26 and not vaccinated yet. Extension of the upper age limit to 45 years gives such women a 20-year breather.

The World Health Organization launched a program in November 2020 aimed at eliminating cervical cancer by 2030. The plan was to ensure that 90 percent of girls are fully vaccinated against HPV by the time they turn 15. China is actively pursuing this goal by providing a 2-valent HPV vaccine for free to girls aged 14 at many places.

However, the free vaccination project is facing obstacles because of local financial constraints. Some parents also feel that it is better if their daughters are directly given the 9-valent vaccine than choose the 2-valent vaccine for free first and then the 9-valent vaccine. This has reduced the number of takers for the government's free 2-valent vaccine. Reducing the age for the 9-valent HPV vaccine will help overcome this obstacle, as girls aged 9-16 will now be eligible for the 9-valent HPV vaccine.

Also, some girls can choose to pay for the 9-valent HPV vaccine, reducing the financial constraint on local governments. It will also make it easier to achieve the target of getting 90 percent of girls aged 15 getting vaccinated against HPV.

The extension of the age for the 9-valent HPV vaccine will create favorable conditions for cooling the vaccine market, but the huge demand for it has not been met. A series of other measures, including increasing vaccine imports, expanding production capacity, cracking down on market speculation, and promoting fair and scientific distribution, should be taken to help cool the overheated 9-valent vaccine market, so as to make the public more rational about the 9-valent vaccine.