On Tuesday, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted market authorization to the Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture indigenously-developed first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against cervical cancer. 

According to official sources, on June 15th, the DCGI approved the anti-cancer drug following the recommendation given by the Subject Expert Committee formed by CDSCO for reviewing data on Covid 19. Mr. Prakash Kumar Singh, director (government and regulatory affairs) at Serum Institute, had applied to the DCGI seeking market authorization of qHPV after the phase 2/3 clinical trial was completed with the support of the Department of Biotechnology to ensure its early availability. 

In India, Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age. The official source added that it is a significant step toward reducing the reliance on foreign manufacturers for the HPV vaccine.