news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

(Reporters Zhao Mengmeng and Wang Aibing from People's Daily Health Client) On August 2, the China Government Procurement Network released the Shandong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Shandong Province 2024 School-age Girls Bivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Procurement (2) transaction announcement, which showed that the price of Watson Bio's bivalent HPV vaccine has dropped to 27.5 yuan per dose, once again breaking the price record for domestically produced bivalent HPV vaccines.

On August 5, Xu Xiaohong, deputy director of the Department of Gynecological Oncology at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, told a reporter from People's Daily Health Client, "First, the intensified competition in the HPV vaccine market has forced companies to lower prices to gain market share; second, the advancement of HPV vaccine production technology and the reduction of costs have given companies room to lower prices; finally, the current government's centralized procurement and negotiation measures may be a major reason for the price drop."

It is understood that since the beginning of this year, Jiangsu, Guangdong and other places have successively released the purchase price of bivalent HPV vaccines. Watson Bio and Wantai Bio have launched a fierce price war in the field of centralized bidding and procurement of domestic bivalent HPV vaccines. The price of the vaccine has also fallen below the 100 yuan mark for the first time this year, and has been declining all the way, with the unit price dropping from 86 yuan to 63 yuan, and now to less than 30 yuan. The bivalent HPV vaccine has already entered the era of "small profits" dominated by government procurement.

In January 2023, the "Action Plan to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer (2023-2030)" issued by the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education and other ten departments clearly stated that by 2030, the pilot work of HPV vaccination for girls of appropriate age will be continuously promoted.

In order to achieve this goal, governments in many places have begun to purchase domestically produced bivalent HPV vaccines. So far, nine provinces have included HPV vaccination in the government's practical projects for the people. After many places have implemented free HPV vaccination, some have called for HPV vaccines to be included in the immunization plan.

Regarding whether HPV vaccines should be included in the immunization program, Xu Xiaohong said, "Whether to include it in the immunization program in the future needs to consider many factors: First, HPV vaccines are of great significance in preventing diseases such as cervical cancer. Including them in the immunization program can increase vaccination rates and better protect public health; but whether a vaccine should be included in the immunization program needs to consider factors such as financial burden, vaccine supply capacity and vaccination service system. If the price is cheap, the finances can support it, the vaccine supply is sufficient and stable, and the vaccination service system can meet the demand, it is feasible and beneficial to include HPV vaccines in the immunization program."

"Vaccines that are included in the immunization program must have significant public health significance. However, some evidence is still needed to determine whether the HPV vaccine should be included in the immunization program. For example, whether the domestically produced bivalent HPV vaccine can meet the requirements in terms of quality and efficacy; whether it can cover the population suitable for vaccination across the country in terms of production capacity and market supply security; and whether it can be fairly accessible to the general population." Chen Hao, director of the Drug Policy and Management Research Center of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said in an interview with a reporter from the People's Daily Health Client that making it an affordable public product will help to cover full urban and rural areas, and there will be no difference in treatment based on identity, occupation, age, ethnicity, etc.