MSD Rolls Out India’s First Gender-Neutral Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd has rolled out India’s first gender-neutral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a bid to reduce the HPV-related disease burden and cancers caused by the virus in Indian women, girls as well as boys.

The 9-valent HPV vaccine – Gardasil 9, which offers protection against HPV serotypes 6, 11, 16,18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58, can be administered to girls and women in the 9-26 years age bracket and boys aged 9 to 15 years. The three-dose nano-valent vaccine has to be administered via intramuscular injections across a period of six months (schedule: 0, 2 & 6 months), MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd said on Wednesday.

According to MSD, the vaccine helps reduce the disease burden of cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer and anal cancer among females and can also help prevent genital warts, anal intraepithelial neoplasia, anal cancer and precancerous or dysplastic lesions in boys as males are also vulnerable to HPV-related cancers and diseases.

Pointing out that these 9 HPV serotypes contribute to a majority of the global HPV disease burden, Rehan A Khan, managing director, MSD-India, said some of these serotypes are also prominent in India.

Nearly 98.3% of cervical cancer cases, 95% of vulvar cancer cases, 77% of vaginal cancer cases and 70% of anal cancer cases in India can be attributed to 7 HPV serotypes, he added.

Khan also pointed out that as India has the world’s highest population with nearly 229 million people in the 10-24 years age bracket, vaccination can play a crucial role in reducing the alarming incidence of HPV-related cancer burden in India, that is reported at close to 1.7 lakh cases annually in both men and women.

“Current estimates indicate that every year 96922 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 60078 lose their battle to the disease. Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women in India and the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age,” MSD India said.

Source: ToI