Expert panel in favor of approval to Serum Institute’s cervical cancer vaccine

New Delhi: Serum Institute of India’s indigenously-developed India’s first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against cervical cancer might soon hit the Indian market.

As per various reports and sources, an expert panel of India’s central drug authority on June 15, 2022 recommended granting of market authorization to the vaccine.

Cervical cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.

Media reports mentioned  that Prakash Kumar Singh, director (government and regulatory affairs) at SII had applied to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on June 8 for market authorisation of qHPV after completing the phase 2/3 clinical trial with support of the Department of Biotechnology to ensure its early availability in the country.

In the application, Singh is claimed to have stated that 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 SII has also made a presentation before the working group of HPV constituted separately by the NTAGI to review the data and usefulness of this vaccine.