Merck, GSK cut price of cervical cancer shots for poor countries

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Drugmakers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have cut the price of cervical cancer shots in a deal that will deliver them to poor countries for less than $5 a dose. The new record low price for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines should mean millions of girls in developing countries can be protected against the disease, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) said on Thursday. “By 2020 we hope to reach more than 30 million girls in more than 40 countries,” Seth Berkley, the group’s chief executive, said in a statement announcing the price deal. …