MSD launches gender-neutral HPV vaccine in India, licences Covid jab

HPV infections are one of the leading causes of cervical cancer in women

MSD Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck Sharp & Dohme, launched India’s first gender neutral HPV vaccine Gardasil 9. This nine-valent Human Papillomavirus vaccine would work against nine variants of HPV and is for use in girls (9- to 26-year-old) and boys (9-15-year-old).

HPV is responsible for causing cervical cancer, which can be detected through a simple screening procedure called the pap smear test. Boys also need to be vaccinated as they are often carriers of HPV.

Rehan A Khan, Managing Director, MSD-India Region said that the vaccine will be imported into the country. “There is a large cohort of addressable population for this vaccine. However, at this moment the HPV vaccine market in India is negligible,” Khan said.

He added: “With HPV affecting both genders, the vaccine demonstrates the company's commitment towards bringing a gender-neutral HPV vaccine to India that addresses certain HPV-related diseases, among Indian girls, women and boys, and continues to promote preventive healthcare in India.”

MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc. in the United States and Canada, already has another variant of Gardasil in the market. GSK’s Cervarix is also available in India.

According to ‘World Population Prospects: The 2015 revision’ Population Database of United Nations Population Division, India has the world’s highest number of 10 to 24-year-olds, which stands at almost 229 million.

India continues to be home to almost 20 percent of world’s total population and is expected to have one of the youngest populations in the world till 2030. HPV related cancer burden in India (both males and females) that is reported at close to 1.7 lakh cases annually.

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 ropes in eight Indian firms for voluntary licence of its Covid-19 drug
 

MSD has tied up with eight Indian companies for voluntary licences of its investigational Covid-19 drug, molnupiravir. Hetero has already approached the Indian drug regulator with details from its phase-3 trials seeking an emergency-use authorisation, Rehan A Khan, Managing Director, MSD-India Region said. The other companies, including Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Torrent Pharmaceuticals are also doing phase-3 trials here in India, post which an approval is expected.