Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on July 12 said the company plans to launch its indigenously-developed vaccine to treat cervical cancer in women later this year.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on July 12 granted market authorisation to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture the indigenously-developed India's first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against cervical cancer.

In response to the approval by the drug regulator, Poonawalla in a tweet said, "For the first time there will be an Indian HPV vaccine to treat cervical cancer in women that is both affordable and accessible. We look forward to launching it later this year and we thank the #DCGI @MoHFW_INDIA for granting approval today."

The approval by the drug regulator of SII's anti-cancer vaccine followed a recommendation by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the CDSCO on June 15.

The company had applied to the DCGI seeking market authorisation of the qHPV after the phase 2/3 clinical trial was completed with the support of the Department of Biotechnology. Cervical cancer in India ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age.