The vaccine, which prevents cancers related to the human papillomavirus, can now be prescribed by doctors in 27 European countries to women and girls aged between 10 and 25 years old.
British pharmaceutical giant Glaxo's chief executive JP Garnier said in a statement, "The decision (by the European Commission) to approve Cervarix for the European Union represents a great step forward for European women."
Glaxo's new vaccine, which is expected to be priced at $100 per dose, will compete with U.S.-based Merck and Co's Gardasil.
Gardasil is already available in both the United States and Europe. It is sold via a joint venture with France's Sanofi-Aventis in the American market. Cervarix is expected to generate revenues in the $2 billion to $5 billion range in the EU.
"Physicians across Europe will now have access to this important vaccine to help protect women against cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women," Garnier added.
The world's second-largest drugmaker said that a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Cervarix's approval in the United States will be given in January 2008. It was submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March.
