India Bets On Jan Aushadhi Kendras For HPV Vaccine To Prevent Cervical Cancer, Adds 116 New Drugs
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The list also includes medicines for heart diseases, diabetes, epilepsy, apart from various other types of cancers
The government's plan a roll out a nationwide HPV vaccination drive for girls to prevent cervical cancer remains stalled due to insufficient vaccine stock. To tide over the problem, the Narendra Modi government's flagship affordable generic drugs scheme, Jan Aushadhi, has now decided to include the HPV or Human Papillomavirus among 116 new medicines being added to its portfolio.
The final list of medicines, accessed by News18, lists the recombinant HPV quadrivalent vaccine, which is effective against diseases caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. '…used for the prevention of HPV-associated cancers, such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancer", mentions the document in the category of usage of the drug. The vaccine is expected to be available at subsidised rates through Jan Aushadhi outlets. The objective of the planned offering is to offer timely access, even as the national rollout remains uncertain.
'While the meeting to discuss the status of the roll-out of the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for girls (aged 9 to 14 years) is expected to take place during the last week of June, there is no update from the Serum Institute of India (SII) on the requested quantity of vaccine doses. Without them, we cannot decide timelines or go ahead," a senior government official told News18.
Meanwhile, the Union government is trying to expand access to HPV vaccines via Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
'The scheme has just rolled out the tender for marketing the HPV vaccine as part of the initiative to add 116 more medicines to its existing bouquet of over 2,100 drugs and 315 surgical and medical devices," another senior government official said, adding that the price of the vaccine available at Jan Aushadhi retail outlets may not be steeply discounted.
However, it remains unclear how the tendering procedure will work as in India, only the Serum Institute of India is currently the licensed manufacturer of the HPV vaccine. For the private market in India, the HPV vaccine from SII — Cervavac — typically costs Rs 4,000 per dose.
Other Medicines on the List
The Jan Aushadhi scheme offers generic drugs priced at 50–90 per cent lower than their branded counterparts in the market. The new list of medicines will be available at 16,500 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across India by September.
'It takes three to six months to complete the procurement procedure and bring medicines onto the retail shelf. The list was finalised in March, and now the tendering process is underway," the second official said.
A significant portion of the medicines being added are for the treatment of heart disease and diabetes — two of India's most pressing health challenges. While India is often called the 'Diabetes Capital of the World,' with over 74 million adults affected, it also accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the world's heart disease burden.
The list also includes several cancer drugs, including Ibrutinib, used in the treatment of blood cancer and costing between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,500, which severely hurts the pocket of middle and lower-income class patients and families. Also, the list includes Abiraterone Acetate, a drug used in the treatment of prostate cancer, blood cancer, Hodgkin's disease, and also prescribed in some cases of sickle cell anaemia. A bottle of 60 tablets of the drug costs around Rs 35,000. With inclusion under the scheme, the prices of these drugs—in their generic version—are expected to fall by at least 50 per cent.
Several other drugs for therapeutic categories such as the central nervous system, epilepsy and seizures, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anti-allergy and bone deficiencies are also part of the list.
In March, Union health minister JP Nadda said the scheme is helping over 10 lakh people access affordable medicines, leading to cumulative savings of Rs 30,000 crore. While the scheme has been helping those, who cannot afford branded medicines, if it manages to offer quality cancer drugs and the HPV vaccine at discounted prices, it could set a significant benchmark for public health affordability and access.
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