Denmark picks Merck's Gardasil for vaccine progam

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Denmark has chosen Merck & Co's (MRK.N) cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil for its immunisation program, according to Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA), which markets the drug in Europe as part of a joint venture with Merck.

Sanofi announced the tender on Thursday a day after Britain chose GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) Cervarix for its program to protect young girls against the human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer.

Denmark will administer the treatment to 12-year old girls starting January 1, 2009 and for girls born in 1993, 1994 or 1995 so they can catch up on their vaccinations, Sanofi said.

Both vaccines are designed for girls and young women to protect them against cancer-causing strains of the HPV virus.

Earlier this year the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a report that both vaccines could best help reduce cervical cancer when used with screening programmes.

Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus and it is the second most common type of cancer in women. The disease kills 300,000 each year, mostly in developing countries.

A handful of EU countries have introduced the vaccination into their national health programmes and most are considering it, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (Reporting by Michael Kahn; Editing by David Cowell)