Ending a closely watched contest, the UK Department of Health has chosen Glaxo to supply its Cervarix HPV vaccine over the next three years, besting a competing bid from Sanofi-Pasteur and Merck, which market the rival Gardasil vaccine, The Financial Times reports.

The decision came as a surprise because a government advisory panel previously indicated Gardasil was a better choice, unless Cervarix was cheaper, according to the FT, which notes both have the same list price. Of course, this is a setback for Sanofi and Merck, which are waging a fierce battle against Glaxo across Europe to make Gardasil the preeminent HPV vaccine. France, for instance, recently chose Gardasil.

Naturally, Eddie Gray, who head’s Glaxo pharma unit in Europe said: “This is great news for girls and women across the UK and reflects the growing confidence in Cervarix, which provides cervical cancer protection with a strong and sustained immune response.” And, the FT adds, he crowed that Glaxo has now bested Sanofi and Merck in 16 of 20 contracts across Europe.

Meanwhile, Patrick Poirot, vp of medical and scientific affairs at Sanofi Pasteur MSD, issued this statement: “We regret that schoolgirls in the UK, unlike most of their peers in western Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, will not benefit from the unmatched cervical cancer protection and additional benefits provided by Gardasil.”

There was no mention of the price the government will pay, according to the FT. The UK health department would only say that its decision examined “scientific qualities and cost effectiveness.” In other words, Poirot seems to be suggesting UK girls will receive less protection, because their government opted to purchase a cheaper vaccine. A scare tactic? Or is the UK health department simply cheap?

Meanwhile, Denmark has now chosen Gardasil for its own immunization program, Reuters reports.