Cervical Cancer In India, Low Screening Rates And Serum Institute's Cheaper Vaccine Shorts: Report (image:seruminstitute.com)

A Bloomberg report points that India is ground zero in battling cervical cancer that kills a woman every 7 minutes. In rural parts of India, persuading women to go for cervical inspections are strenuous task for medical practitioners; despite the free screening and treatment only 15% agree for taking this step forward.

The cervical cancer is majorly caused by Human papillomavirus, or HPV, infection. Early stage diagnosis and treatment can cure cervical cancer.

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In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to eliminate cervical cancer in the country. Further, he decided to fund research and a vaccination campaign for young girls across India. The Central government is looking for an affordable HPV shot, from the Serum Institute of India, which possibly requiring only one dose. The administration is planning to obtain vaccine shots in bulk by the end of this year to begin universal immunisation that can control these highest rates.

The Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker’s efficiency of the single dose vaccine is being studied by the Indian Council for Medical Research. If the single-dose HPV vaccine proved to be successful, it “will extend supplies and cut the cost of the government’s plan to vaccinate about 68 million girls ages 9 to 14 years through the nation’s universal immunization program,” the Bloomberg reports. Besides, it hopes that when Serum’s vaccine comes with affordability it will solve the issues concerning supplies and government’s strive to increase screening and immunization.

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The Serum Institute’s Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla told Bloomberg that the production of their Cervavac is expected to reach 100 million doses next year. Though Poonawalla declined to specifically mention the price in which he would sell the vaccine shot, but told that they will be “substantially cheaper than 2,000 rupees” each, the Bloomberg adds.

The report also mentions that in Australia, where HPV immunisations has been frequently given to girls since 2007 and boys since 2013,the incidence of cervical cancer has reportedly dropped from about 5.6 cases per 100,000 women to below the WHO’s target of 4 per 100,000 by 2028. It is in contrast with the 18 cases in India, and 13.3 cases globally which in turn stresses the significance of HPV shots.