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By Manas Mishra
PUNE (Reuters) – The Serum Institute of India aims to gradually increase sources of its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as it prepares to supply its vaccines to the government at lower rates for a vaccination campaign this year against cancer-causing vaccines. virus.
Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the world’s largest vaccine maker by number of doses, told Reuters he expects the vaccine to be part of the government’s program until the end of the year.
The vaccine, which is currently available on the private market for 2,000 rupees ($24. 13), is India’s first vaccine against HPV, which plays a role in most cervical cancers worldwide.
“Our current capacity is a few million doses, but the demand is endless. If we were to deploy 50 million doses in India, they would be sold out, both in the personal market and in the public market,” Poonawalla said.
The government is set to administer the HPV vaccine to women between the ages of nine and 14 as part of a campaign to combat cervical cancer, the most common type of cancer among women in India.
There is no contract with the government yet, Poonawalla said, adding that he expects the government to first procure 40 million to 50 million doses through a bidding procedure in December.
Other HPV vaccine brands come with Merck
“It’s still a little early to tell, but we’re in a position and very committed to this product,” he said.
Poonawalla expects the vaccine to be “considerably, 8 times cheaper” once it is delivered to the government.
Serum produces AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, whose logo is called Covishield in India.
The company’s HPV facilities, which were used during the pandemic to manufacture Covishield, are not yet fully operational, restricting its overall capacity, according to Serum.
The company is in the process of applying for prequalification from the WHO, and Poonawalla plans to start exporting HPV vaccines to other countries in 2026.
($1 = 82. 8768 Indian rupees)
(Reporting via Manas Mishra in Pune; editing by Leslie Adler)