Merck and Co, Inc. donates HPV vaccine to INCCA

           
            In an effort to help reduce the burden of HPV-related neoplasias in impoverished women living in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Merck and Co, Inc. has donated $36,000 worth of Gardasil HPV vaccine to INCCA.  The vaccine has been successfully administered free to 100 young girls living in the Cusco, Peru region.  This donation represents the largest gift to INCCA to date.
           

“We can’t begin to express how grateful we are to Merck for their incredible generosity.  Such a thoughtful commitment to serving poor women in developing parts of the world is noteworthy” said Daron Ferris, MD, President of INCCA.
           

As part of the project, Merck also supported a continuing educational program for the local medical and nursing community as requested by the Peruvian Ministry of Health.  INCCA partnered with CerviCusco to organize the free vaccination campaign.  Women living in the Andes Mountains of Peru have one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world.  It is hoped that this effort will lend support to providing HPV vaccine to an even greater number of Peruvian girls and women in the future.