UPDATE 1-Glaxo cuts Cervarix price by 30 pct in Canada

LONDON Oct 25 (Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) has cut the price of its cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix by 30 percent in Canada in a bid to encourage greater uptake of the product.

Recent research has identified the relatively high price of cervical cancer vaccines and low understanding of their benefits as key reasons why most young Canadian women have yet to be immunised, the British drugmaker said on Monday.

The new list price for Cervarix is C$90 ($87.63) per dose, down from C$134.95 previously. Three doses of the vaccine are recommended for protection.

Both Cervarix and Merck & Co’s (MRK.N) rival vaccine Gardasil protect against infection with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by Kate Kelland)