India's first indigenously-made cervical cancer vaccine launched; Here's all you need to know about HPV jab

Hope grows as the country today launched its first indigenously produced quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, which claims one life every eight minutes.

Serum Institute of India (SII) received regulatory approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday to manufacture an indigenously-developed vaccine against cervical cancer.

This is India's first indigenously produced vaccine against cervical cancer. The second most common malignancy among women between the ages of 15 and 44 is cervical cancer.

Her's all you need to know about cervical cancer, the vaccine, the significance of its development-

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.

The majority of cervical cancers are brought on by different strains of the sexually transmitted infection known as the human papillomavirus (HPV). The body's immune system normally stops the virus from causing harm when exposed to HPV. However, in a small percentage of people, the virus endures for years and aids in the process by which some cervical cells develop into cancer cells.

Cervical cancer treatment

Depending on the stage (extent) of cancer, one or more of the following treatments may be performed:

1. Cone biopsy: For the earliest stage of cervical cancer, a cone biopsy with wide margins can be performed.

2. Trachelectomy: This is a surgery that preserves fertility. It removes the cervix, upper vagina and surrounding tissue.

3. Surgery: For early stage cervical cancer, a modified radical hysterectomy with lymph node sampling (pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph nodes) is the preferred surgical procedure. 

4.  Radiation may be given after surgery or instead of surgery and is the preferred treatment for any but the earliest stages of disease.

5. Chemotherapy: In most cases, chemotherapy may be used as supplemental treatment, usually combined with radiation

The Serum Institute's cervical cancer vaccine

In collaboration with the Government of India's Department of Biotechnology, the Serum Institute of India,Pune, has created the first indigenous qHPV vaccine. HPV vaccines are administered in two to three doses, depending on the age of the recipient.

Till now HPV vaccines have been available from foreign manufacturers at a cost approximating Rs 2000 to Rs 3,500 per dose.

What does the HPV vaccine do?

If the vaccination is administered before girls or women are exposed to the virus, it can prevent the majority of occurrences of cervical cancer. Additionally, this vaccine can protect against vulvar and vaginal cancer. Additionally, both men and women can benefit from the vaccine's ability to prevent genital warts, anal cancer, and mouth, throat, head, and neck malignancies.

Burden of cervical cancer in India

With 1.23 lakh cases and over 67,000 fatalities each year, India accounts for almost one-fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a frequent infection spread through sexual contact.

Challenges in the vaccine drive?
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The allocation of sufficient financial resources and staff for vaccinating adolescent girls between the ages of 9 and 15 will present challenges. There is a critical need to increase public knowledge of the disease and the vaccination, according to Dr. Smita Joshi, the principal investigator for the HPV vaccine research at Serum Institute of India, one of the nation's 12 multi-centric sites.

Is the HPV vaccine required for school enrollment?

However, experts have suggested that vaccination programs offered in schools will be successful. There aren't any school-based vaccination programs currently, so planning will need to be done in that direction, said Dr. Joshi.