On September 1, India launched its first indigenously developed vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer, the second most prevalent cancer in the country.
The vaccine was launched by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology in the presence of Adar C. Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India, Alka Sharma, Senior Adviser, DBT and MD, BIRAC and others.
Actor Manisha Koirala, who bravely fought and won the battle against ovarian cancer had joined the event virtually and had thanked the government for reaching this milestone.
“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,” said Jitendra Singh. “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,” he added.
According to the officials, the qHPV vaccine CERVAVAC has demonstrated 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.
The vaccine would provide protection against four most prevalent high-risk HPV strains: 6, 11, 16 and 18. The vaccination can lower the risk of incidence of cervical cancer by more than 80%, reports have said and is affordable in comparison to Cervarix and Gardasil.
