GSK commits $1 million in cervical cancer vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced that it has committed $1 million in Cervarix® cervical cancer vaccine to the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership over the next five years. GSK has also pledged $50,000 to support the program operations. As a result of this donation, more than 10,000 girls and women will have access to vaccination.

The Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership is a new initiative led by the George W. Bush Institute, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The program, which launched today, will look to expand over time the availability of vital prevention, screening and treatment programs for cervical and breast cancer in developing countries.

Duncan Learmouth, Senior Vice President, Developing Countries and Market Access, GlaxoSmithKline said: “We share the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership’s commitment to identifying and developing innovative models that will effectively educate patients and health care providers in developing countries about cancer prevention. It is a sad reality that each year thousands of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, a potentially preventable cancer. We will continue to support programs that look to increase access for women in developing countries who are most vulnerable to this potentially fatal disease.”

The Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership will leverage the platform and resources of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), established under President Bush and a cornerstone of President Obama’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), to provide cervical cancer prevention through vaccination and screening, as well as treatment services.

Eric Bing, Senior Fellow and Director of Global Health at the George W. Bush Institute said: “ We’re thankful for GlaxoSmithKline’s investment in the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative. Our goal is to reduce deaths from cervical cancer by an estimated 25% among women vaccinated, screened and treated through the initiative, significantly increase access to cervical cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment and breast cancer awareness programs, and create innovative models that can be scaled up and used globally. Our founding corporate partners’ generosity and commitment to saving lives is a critical part of ensuring we meet these goals.”

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer – and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in women with a significant proportion of these in developing countriesi It is estimated that by 2020, women living in the developing world will account for 90 percent of cervical cancer deaths worldwideii Only an estimated 5 percent of women in developing countries have been screened for cervical cancer in the last five yearsiii Vaccination and screening are the key elements of a comprehensive approach to cervical cancer prevention and control.

GSK’s support of the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership builds on more than two decades of collaborations with leading international organizations to help ensure global access to vaccines.

References

1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide in 2008: Summary. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/cervix.asp [Last accessed: 22 August 2011]
2. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide in 2008: Summary. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/cervix.asp [Last accessed: 22 August 2011]
3. Preventing Cervical Cancer Worldwide. Population Reference Bureau and the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention. http://www.path.org/files/RH_prp-accp_cervical_cancer_worldw.pdf . Accessed on September 8, 2011.
4. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Cervical Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide in 2008: Summary. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/cervix.asp [Last accessed: 22 August 2011]
5. Goldie SJ, Kohli M, Grima D, Weinstein MC, Wright TC, Bosch FX, Franco E. Projected clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness of a human papillomavirus 16/18 vaccine. J Natl Cancer Inst 2004b; 96: 604-615. 13.
6. Basen-Engquist K, Paskett ED et al. Cervical cancer. Behavioral Factors Related to Screening, Diagnosis, and Survivors’ Quality of Life. Cancer. 2003; 98: 2009-2014
7. Cervarix Summary of Product Characteristics, GlaxoSmithKline, March 2011