20 Years Since Global Approval of MSD's HPV Vaccine: Multiple Parties Join Forces to Advance HPV Prevention in China

Recently, the world’s first HPV vaccine marked the 20th anniversary of its approval. As humanity’s first vaccine capable of preventing a specific cancer, the advent of the HPV vaccine provided a means of prevention at the etiological level for cervical cancer control worldwide. In China, public health academia, pharmaceutical companies and other parties have continued to collaborate, from building prevention and control systems to raising public awareness, jointly helping to steadily advance the goal of cervical cancer elimination.

Cervical cancer has long threatened women’s health globally and affects the happiness of countless families. In June 2006, the first HPV vaccine was officially approved for marketing. From laboratory research breakthroughs to real-world data verification, this achievement embodies the long-term exploration of researchers worldwide, giving humanity the first scientific possibility of preventing a cancer through immunization and injecting key momentum into global cervical cancer prevention and control.

Looking back at the development of cervical cancer prevention and control in China, Professor Qiao Youlin (乔友林) of the School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, said that when he returned to China in 1997, the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in China were still rising, while some developed countries at the same time had already achieved significant reductions in incidence and mortality through comprehensive prevention and control, making the urgency of domestic cervical cancer epidemiology and pathology research increasingly prominent.

As public health work continued to advance, the path for cervical cancer prevention and control in China gradually became clear. Qiao Youlin noted that cervical cancer screening is secondary prevention and can only achieve early detection and early treatment of the disease, without blocking the cause at its root; while the HPV vaccine, as a primary prevention measure, combined with standardized screening, can achieve comprehensive prevention and even elimination of cervical cancer, which will become an important achievement in the public health field.

At the national level, institutional arrangements for cervical cancer prevention and control have continued to improve. In January 2023, 10 departments including the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly issued the “Action Plan for Accelerating the Elimination of Cervical Cancer (2023–2030)”, explicitly proposing that by 2025, pilot promotion of HPV vaccination services for school-age girls be carried out, the cervical cancer screening rate for eligible women reach 50%, and the treatment rate for patients with cervical cancer and precancerous lesions reach 90%; and that by 2030, pilot HPV vaccination for school-age girls continue to be promoted and the cervical cancer screening rate for eligible women reach 70%, setting phased goals for comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and treatment in China. In October 2025, seven departments including the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education jointly issued a notice, deciding to include the HPV vaccine in the national immunization program starting from November 10, 2025.

Over 20 years, cervical cancer prevention and control in China has gradually expanded from pilot programs to universal coverage, with the prevention and control network extending from the eastern coast to remote western regions. Public awareness that “cervical cancer is preventable and controllable” has continued to rise, and the efforts of one generation are changing the trajectory of a disease.

As research deepens, the epidemiological characteristics of HPV infection in China have been further clarified, providing a scientific basis for optimizing prevention and control strategies. Qiao Youlin said that HPV infection among Chinese women shows a bimodal distribution at ages 17–24 and 40–44, and the prevalence of HPV types 52 and 58 is higher than the global average.

He also noted that HPV infection is not gender-specific, and preventing HPV among both men and women is a scientific disease prevention model that helps build a more comprehensive population immunity barrier and accelerate progress toward eliminating cervical cancer. Eliminating HPV-related diseases requires both improved public health awareness and the participation of more social forces.

As an important participant in HPV disease prevention and control, Kyle Tattle, President of MSD China, said that MSD has long been deeply engaged in HPV prevention. Since the approval of the first HPV vaccine 20 years ago, making HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer, a thing of the past has always been a core driving force for the company’s development.

“After entering the Chinese market, MSD’s HPV vaccine has provided health protection for more than 50 million eligible Chinese women,” Tattle said. In the future, MSD will continue to join hands with partners from all sides to promote technological innovation, raise disease awareness and expand the scope of protection, providing broader health safeguards for eligible men and women and helping to achieve the Healthy China 2030 goals.