First Indian vaccine for cervical cancer to launch tomorrow

New Delhi: India is going to get the first indigenous vaccine against cervical cancer. It will be launched on September 1 by the Serum Institute of India and the Department of Biotechnology. According to official sources, India’s first indigenous vaccine Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) will be launched on Thursday.

This vaccine can be given to girls aged 9 to 14 years. Initially, the vaccine will be administered only to girls. But later it will be given to boys as well. As the vaccine is manufactured in the country, its cost will not be a major barrier.

There are currently two HPV vaccines in the country, which are manufactured by foreign companies. One of these vaccines is Gardasil, which is manufactured by Merck, while the other is Cervarix, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. The price of HPV vaccine in the market is around 2 thousand to 3 thousand rupees. It is expected that the price of the vaccine will come down as the serum enters this segment. The inclusion of this vaccine in the national immunization campaign by the government is said to be an important step toward reducing the problem of cervical cancer in women.

According to the latest estimates from the HPV Center, more than 123,000 women in India are affected by this cancer every year and more than 77,000 women die of it. According to available data, about five percent of women in the country are currently suffering from this problem. About 83 percent of cervical cancers are caused by HPV 16 or 18 infections. HPV infection is the leading cause of cervical cancer. Around 70 percent of cervical cancers worldwide are caused by it.