All you need to know about the upcoming cervical cancer vaccine in India

Among women in India, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, and India will now have its own vaccine to prevent it.

Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of India's largest vaccine manufacturer, SII, announced on Tuesday evening that the vaccine would be "both" accessible and affordable.

In response to the tweet, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at WHO, wrote, "Good news".


It is expected that the SII's Cervavac - a quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine - will cost less than options available from foreign drug makers, making it more affordable for Indian households.

It is estimated that the cost of HPV’s regimen is expected to come down to at least half as India’s very own vaccine product gears up to enter the market. The product was expected to hit the shelves by November, this year.

Experts said to obtain a complete regimen of HPV vaccines in India, one must spend at least Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000. A qHPV vaccine is available from Merck Sharp and Dohme (Gardasil), and a bivalent HPV vaccine is available from GSK (Cervarix).

The cost for one vial of Gardasil is Rs 3,927 and for one vial of Cervarix, the cost is Rs 2,640. It is necessary to administer the injection in two or three doses spaced several months apart. An individual will not be fully protected against HPV if the dose regimen is not completed.

It has been established that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 account for 70% of all cervical cancers worldwide.

According to the WHO’s cervical cancer elimination strategy targets for 2030, 90% of girls should be fully immunised with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15.

70% of women should be screened with a high-performance test by 35 years of age and again by 45 years of age.