Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Here's everything you should know about India's self-developed HPV vaccine

In a big achievement, India has launch its first self-developed vaccine for prevention against cervical cancer today. Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh along with SII CEO Adar Poonawalla launched the vaccine at IIC Delhi.

India pharma regulator, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had last month granted market authorisation to Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture the indigenously-developed vaccine against cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age. World Health Organization (WHO) data says that nearly 42 lakh women have died due to this disease in India since 2019.


Here are some important facts about this most awaited vaccine:

1. What is cervical cancer?
   
   • Cancer in the cervix area is called cervical cancer. All women are at risk for this deadly disease.
   • This cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age. It occurs most often in women over age 30.
   • It takes 15 to 20 years for this cancer to develop in women with normal immune systems, but for someone with a weak immune system it can take only 5 to 10 years.
   • Long-lasting infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of this cancer.
   • If found early, it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life.
2. What is HPV vaccine
   
   • The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.
   • The vaccine, Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV), is developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Department of Biotechnology(DBT).
   • 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.
3. What is the price of cervical cancer vaccine in India
   
   • The vaccine is likely to be available at a much affordable rate. At present, the country is fully dependent on foreign manufacturers.
   • Talking about the price, SII CEO, Adar Poonawalla said that the vaccine may be priced between Rs 200-400 but it's not finalised yet. The company plans to manufacture 200 million doses in 2 years.
   • Three foreign companies manufacture the HPV vaccine of which two firms sell their vaccines in India.
   • Each vaccine dose is available in the market at over Rs 4,000.
4. When will be the Cervical cancer vaccine available in India
   
   • Government may launch the vaccine under the National Immunisation programme for 9-14-year-old girls in the next few months.