Cost of cervical cancer vaccine set to be Rs 200-400

NEW DELHI: Cervavac, India's first indigenously developed vaccine for preventing cervical cancer caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), is likely to be priced between Rs 200-400 per dose, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawala said on Thursday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the department of biotechnology (DBT) to announce completion of the vaccine project. SII has developed Cervavac in partnership with DBT.
However, Poonwala said the final price will be decided after detailed discussions with the government. "First, the vaccine would be made available through the government channel and from next year onwards some private partners would be involved too," he said, adding, "Only after the needs of the country are fulfilled, we will explore the option of exporting the vaccine to other countries." The vaccines available in India currently cost anywhere between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,500 per dose which is nearly 10 times the expected price of the indigenously developed vaccine.
Dr Neerja Bhatla, professor of gynaecology at AIIMS who was involved in the vaccine development project, said Cervavac would work against both HPV types 16 and 19 that cause cervical cancer, as also against Types 6 and 11 that are known to cause genital warts.
Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh said the government will ensure Cervavac is accessible to the common man. "The Covid-19 pandemic has awakened us to the virtues of preventive healthcare," he said, while underscoring the need to create awareness about the importance of screening for cervical cancer and administration of preventive vaccines.
DBT secretary Rajesh Gokhale said over 2,000 volunteers participated across the country for this vaccine trial.