Key points
- Over 38,000 doses of the 9-valent HPV vaccine are being delivered to regions across Ukraine – girls aged 12–13 will receive the vaccination.
- Vaccination is free of charge and is carried out in accordance with the updated National Immunisation Schedule.
- At the request of the Ministry of Health, Ukraine’s Medical Procurement Agency signed a two-year managed access agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme in 2025 – the remaining doses are expected by the end of 2026.
- The Gardasil-9 vaccine has undergone state laboratory quality control prior to being dispatched to the regions.
- The vaccine protects against nine types of HPV, including types 16 and 18 – the main cause of cervical cancer.
A consignment of the 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has arrived in Ukraine this month – over 38,000 doses are already being distributed to the regions. The vaccination is free of charge and is intended for girls aged 12–13, in accordance with the updated National Immunisation Schedule.
Before being dispatched to the regions, the vaccine, marketed under the trade name ‘Gardasil-9’, underwent state laboratory quality control.
The contract for the procurement of the vaccine was concluded by Medical Procurements of Ukraine at the request of the Ministry of Health – a two-year managed access agreement with the US company Merck Sharp & Dohme, signed in 2025. The remaining doses are expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of 2026.
This vaccine offers the broadest spectrum of protection among the HPV prevention vaccines currently in use: it protects against nine types of the virus, including the highly oncogenic types 16 and 18 – the main cause of cervical cancer.
According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer ranks fifth among the most common cancers affecting women worldwide. In 2024, around 604,000 new cases of the disease were recorded worldwide, along with nearly 280,000 deaths from it.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection with oncogenic types of HPV – a group of viruses that affect the skin and mucous membranes and are transmitted primarily through sexual contact. Such an infection can lead to both benign growths (warts) and malignant tumours.
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