Pharmaceutical giant Merck is to donate millions of vaccines and testing resources for the prevention of cervical cancer in Africa.
Under the terms of a partnership with Dutch diagnostics company Quiagan, the US-based firm will provide two million doses of its human papillomaviros (HPV) Gardasil vaccine and 250,000 HPV tests for a national prevention programme in Rwanda.
After three years, Merck will offer the drugs to Rwanda at a ‘dramatically’ discounted but unspecified price.
Merck will also provide equipment and training to institute the screening of 35- to 45-year-old women and distribute the vaccines, which will be routinely supplied to 12- to 15-year-olds.
Launching the first prevention programme of its kind in Africa, the Rwandan minister of health said: “This program brings us one step closer to reaching our goal of protecting the girls and women in our country.”
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