Serum Institute's vaccine against cervical cancer to be available soon

The Serum Institute's made-in-India vaccine against cervical cancer, CERVAVAC, will be available in the market this month at an MRP of Rs 2,000 per vial of two doses. India is home to about 16 per cent of the world's women, but it accounts for about a quarter of all cervical cancer incidences and nearly a third of global cervical cancer deaths. 

The CERVAVAC cervical cancer vaccine, produced in India by The Serum Institute, will be on sale this month for Rs 2,000 per vial of two doses, according to official sources on Thursday.
On January 24, the first domestic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of the CEO and Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs of the Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla. 

Singh has reportedly sent a letter to the Union Health Ministry stating that the cost of its HPV vaccine for the private market will be Rs 2,000 per vial of two doses, which is significantly less than the cost of other HPV vaccinations already on the market.

With hospitals, doctors and associations approaching the firm seeking its HPV vaccine, the Serum Institute is ready to roll out CERVAVAC in the private market from this month.

According to data gained, Singh also stated in his letter that SII will offer their HPV vaccination at a very low cost whenever the Health Ministry purchases it. For HPV vaccinations right now, the nation is totally dependent on foreign producers.

Only one HPV vaccination is now offered in the private market in a single-dose pre-filled syringe form, and it costs Rs 10,850. That vaccine is Gardasil, made by American multinational Merck.

The national immunisation programme for females ages 9 to 14 will include the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer in June, and the Union Health Ministry expects to launch a global tender for it in April.

India is home to around 16% of all women worldwide, yet it has a quarter of all cervical cancer cases and close to a third of all cervical cancer fatalities. According to authorities, Indian women have a 1.6% lifetime cumulative chance of having cervical cancer and a 1% lifetime cumulative risk of dying from the disease. According to some recent estimates, in India each year, 35,000 women pass away from cervical cancer and close to 80,000 get the disease.

(With PTI inputs)