MSD's HPV vaccine approved for use in males

Biopharma giant MSD has received approval for its nine-valent HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine for use in males aged between 16 and 26.

The approval from the National Medical Products Administration on Monday makes Gardasil9 the first and only nine-valent HPV vaccine approved for use in both males and females in China, indicating the starting of the "gender-neutral prevention" stage against HPV-related cancers and diseases.

It also marks a further step from the approval in January of the company's four-valent vaccine for males in China, the first such indication in the country, allowing men more vaccination options.

The four-valent shots are already available at health-care facilities in dozens of domestic cities for eligible men.

Since the first approval of Gardasil9 in China in 2018, more than 33 million eligible women have been protected by the vaccine.

Gardasil9 covers nine HPV types, including 6,11,16,18,31,33,45,52 and 58.

However, HPV infections are not gender specific.

"With the approval of the new indication, we hope to not only protect more women, but also benefit more men, more families, more communities and eventually the entire society, and jointly create a future free from HPV-related diseases," said Anna Van Acker, senior vice president of MSD and president of MSD in China.

"HPV infection does not discriminate by gender. Men have a lower natural clearance rate of HPV infection compared to women and can also develop anal cancer, genital warts, and other diseases due to persistent HPV infections," said Qiao Youlin, a professor and researcher from the School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College.

He believes vaccinating both men and women can help achieve herd immunity, prevent HPV-related diseases in men, and further realize the global goal of eliminating HPV-related cancers and diseases.