India’s first vaccine for cervical cancer is ready

Staff Reporter, Guwahati, September 1:India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer prevention will be launched in a few months. On Thursday, Union Minister of State of Science & Technology Jitendra Singh announced the scientific completion of the vaccine. This means that research and development related to the vaccine are complete and now the next step of making them available to the public would take place. Speaking at the event, Singh said COVID-19 has raised awareness about preventive healthcare leading to the development of vaccines like the one against cervical cancer. Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most prevalent cancers in India and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the world’s cervical cancer deaths despite being largely preventable. He said, current estimates indicate that every year approximately 1.25 lakhs women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease in India, and 83 % of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18 in India, and 70% of cases worldwide. The Minister said, the most promising intervention for preventing cervical cancer is vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). It is estimated that HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16 and HPV-18) together contribute to approximately 70% of all invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide. Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that COVID has awakened us to the virtues of preventive healthcare, particularly in a society like India having less awareness of preventive Medicare due to various socio-economic factors. He said, thanks to schemes like Ayushman, which allowed the poor, lower section of the society and the vulnerable population to indulge in the luxury of preventive medicine and preventive healthcare by getting insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh. Referring to Modi’s visit to Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune in November, 2020, to personally review the vaccine development and manufacturing process for Covid, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Prime Minister then underlined that “India considers vaccines as not only vital to good health but also as a global good, and it is India’s duty to assist other countries, including the nations in our neighbourhood, in the collective fight against the virus”. Meanwhile, CEO of the Serum Institute of India (SII) Adar Poonawalla, who was also present, told reporters on the sidelines of the event, “The cervical cancer vaccine will be affordable and would be available in the range of Rs 200-400. However, the final price is yet to be decided”. Moreover, Poonawalla said the vaccine will be launched by the end of the year. Poonawalla also revealed that a plan to make 200 million doses is in place and first the vaccine would be given in India and only after that it will be exported to other countries. Rajesh Gokhale, Department of Biotechnology Secretary, said over 2000 volunteers participated across the country for this vaccine. According to the officials, the qHPV vaccine CERVAVAC has demonstrated a robust antibody response that is nearly 1,000 times higher than the baseline against all targeted HPV types and in all dose and age groups. In July this year, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted market authorisation to the SII to manufacture the vaccine against cervical cancer. 

 

What is CERVAVAC? 

India’s first indigenous qHPV vaccine, CERVAVAC, is developed by the Pune-headquartered Serum Institute of India in coordination with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at present three HPV vaccines are being marketed in many countries worldwide – a bivalent, a quadrivalent, and a nonavalent vaccine. All three vaccines are highly efficacious in preventing infection with virus types 16 and 18, which are together responsible for approximately 70 percent of cervical cancer cases globally. The global health agency emphasised that the primary target group in most of the countries recommending HPV vaccination is young adolescent girls, aged 9-14. For all three vaccines, the vaccination schedule depends on the age of the vaccine recipient. Until now HPV vaccines have been available from foreign manufacturers at a cost of approximately Rs 2000 to Rs 3,500 per dose. Based on the beneficiary’s age, HPV vaccines are given in two to three doses.