WHO prequalifies Serum Institute of India’s quadrivalent HPV vaccine, CERVAVAC | Explained
The development is significant for India as well as the global effort to prevent cervical cancer
The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the Serum Institute of India’s (SII) quadrivalent HPV vaccine, CERVAVAC, allowing it to be procured by United Nations agencies and supplied to countries with HPV immunisation programmes. This prequalification is significant not only for India but also for the global effort to prevent cervical cancer, as CERVAVAC is India’s first indigenously developed gender-neutral quadrivalent HPV vaccine.
The vaccine targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, which are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases, and is licensed for use in girls and boys aged 9 to 26 years in India. The prequalification process involved rigorous evaluation of the vaccine’s quality, safety, and efficacy, ensuring it meets WHO standards. As cervical cancer remains a major public-health burden in India, the national HPV vaccination programme, launched in February 2026, has already administered over 80 lakh doses to 14-year-old girls.
The prequalification of CERVAVAC opens new avenues for international procurement, particularly for low- and middle-income countries, enhancing access to this life-saving vaccine.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu Health's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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