Two rival vaccines targeting the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes the disease, are expected to be launched in the next year or two by Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc.
Exactly, how the novel shots will be funded in the developing world, where most deaths from cervical cancer occur has not been figured out.
In a bid to speed their development and introduction, the World Health Organization said it had been granted $7 million by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Gates charity has donated a further $5.9 million to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Harvard University and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health.
The money will be used to support various preparatory projects, rather than full-scale vaccination programs.
In case of the WHO, the cash will be used to develop standards and guidelines for future vaccine schemes. The other groups will work on developing private sector partnerships and studying the epidemiology of HPV and cervical cancer.
