Does India need an indigenous HPV vaccine and why?
Bharati, K.; Ganguly, N.K.
Journal of Public Health Policy 34(2): 272-287
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1745-655X PMID: 23447031 DOI: 10.1057/jphp.2013.4Document Number: 579956
Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer in Indian women, causing high morbidity and mortality. Two effective and safe vaccines exist, but these remain out of reach of most people due to their high cost. It is imperative that an Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine be affordable and cheap so that the target population can be vaccinated, to make a real impact in reducing the disease burden. We argue that in the long run India needs to develop and manufacture its own HPV vaccine in order to bridge this price gap. We also explore other strategies that can be adopted to increase the accessibility and affordability of this life-saving vaccine during the interim period.