SII is seeking government approval to manufacture and stockpile the qHPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer
                     SII is seeking government approval to manufacture and 
stockpile the qHPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. 
 
 
(Image Courtesy: - Medical Buyer) 
 
After completing phase 2/3 clinical trials, the Serum Institute of India has applied to the 
government for permission to manufacture and stockpile the indigenously developed 
Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine against cervical cancer in order to 
ensure its early availability in the country. The company will soon apply to the Drugs 
Controller General of India (DCGI) for market authorization and a production licence for the 
vaccine. The production of qHPV takes five to six months, according to Prakash Kumar 
Singh, director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, in a letter to the Union health 
ministry. According to the application, lakhs of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer 
each year, with a high fatality rate. Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy 
among women in India between the age of 15 and 44. Our country is currently solely reliant 
on foreign manufacturers for cervical cancer vaccine, and our citizens are obligated to 
purchase these vaccines at exorbitant prices. SII has been working for more than five years 
under the guidance of our CEO Adar C Poonawalla to make an indigenous world-class 
vaccine against cervical cancer, known as the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine, 
available," Singh is claimed to have written in his letter. According to an official source 
familiar with the situation, if the government approves the SII's proposal, it will save time in 
incorporating the indigenously developed qHPV into the Universal Immunization Program. 
Reference: -
 https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/sii-seeks-
govts-nod-to-manufacture-stockpile-qhpv-vaccine-against-cervical-
cancer/articleshow/91577620.cms