Pune:
The Serum Institute of India plans to significantly increase the supply of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as it prepares to provide it at cheaper prices to the government for this year’s immunization drive against the cancer-causing virus.
Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the world’s largest vaccine maker by doses, told Reuters he expected the shot to be part of the government’s plan by the end of the year.
The vaccine, currently priced at Rs 2,000 in the private market, is India’s first indigenous vaccine against HPV, which is responsible for most cervical cancers in the world.
“Currently our capacity is only a few million doses, but the demand is unlimited. If we were to roll out 50 million doses in India, they would be used up, whether in the private market or in the government procurement programme,” Poonawalla said.
The government plans to give the HPV vaccine to girls aged 9 to 14 as part of a campaign to fight cervical cancer, the second most common type of cancer among women in India.
No contract has yet been signed with the government, Mr Poonawalla said, adding that he expected authorities to initially procure 40 to 50 million doses through a tender process in December.
Other HPV vaccine makers include Merck & Co and GSK Plc, which can also bid for government contracts.
“It’s too early to say, but we’re ready and very committed to developing this product,” he said.
Poonawalla predicted that the vaccines supplied to the government would be “much cheaper, probably eight times cheaper”.
Serum makes AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, branded Covishield.
According to Serum, the company’s HPV facility used to manufacture Covishield during the pandemic is still not fully operational, limiting full-capacity production.
The company is applying for prequalification from the World Health Organization and Mr Poonawalla expects to start exporting the HPV vaccine to other countries in 2026.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
