(Yicai Global) Aug. 1 -- Britain's biggest pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline Plc [NYSE:GSK] will soon begin offering China's first approved vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer, Cervarix, in community hospitals and community health service centers nationally.

This is the first time that the China Food and Drug Administration has approved a cervical cancer vaccine in the country.

Cervarix, which received approval in July, protects effectively against oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV), an infection that causes cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a common malignant tumor which poses a serious threat to women's health, said Professor Qiao Youlin, an epidemiologist at the Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The vaccination will significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions, thereby reducing the burden of disease, he added.

GSK is carrying out a series of event and activities related to the vaccine's launch, including public disease education, a vaccination support platform and professional training for vaccination physicians, mobile internet news website The Paper reported, citing Wei Liansheng, general manager at GSK China's prescription drugs and vaccines division.

Cervarix has received approval in 132 countries and regions worldwide, with more than 69 million doses administered in total so far. Some 70 countries have incorporated HPV vaccines into national immunization programs.