Merck, known as Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) outside the U.S. and Canada, announced Tuesday that it is suspending supplies of the HPV vaccine Gardasil to China, a suspension that is expected to last at least until mid-year.

A financial report Merck released the same day showed that the company's fiscal fourth-quarter sales were $15.6 billion, up 7% from a year earlier.

Among them, Gardasil sales fell 17% year-on-year to $1.55 billion, which Merck said was mainly due to reduced demand in China.

In January, Gardasil was approved for marketing by China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)  for a number of new indications, and is indicated for vaccination in males aged 9 to 26 years.

Gardasil also became the first and only HPV vaccine approved for males in mainland China.

In response, MSD China said on Wednesday that the suspension of supply was mainly due to the overall market environment, weak consumer demand and high channel inventory.

The pharma giant communicated with its local partner Zhifei Bio and decided to adjust the pace of shipments in the Chinese market in phases from February 2025, based on dynamic changes in consumer demand, and is expected to gradually return to normalcy by mid-year.