Controversy over HPV vaccines in India accelerates

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have come under fire for approving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer patients, despite a report by India's Parliament opposing its use. The government, meantime, continues to dither over introducing the HPV vaccine in its Universal Immunization Program, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

The vaccine is manufactured by UK-headquartered GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and MSD Pharmaceuticals, the local subsidiary of US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), while one vaccine developed by an Indian firm is undergoing clinical trials.

Despite the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, an advisory body that recommends vaccines for India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP) and the highest technical agency for deciding on public policy on vaccines, giving a green signal this January to the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the UIP, the government's efforts have been stonewalled.