The clearance of a cervical-cancer vaccine in the US comes as good news for India, though it may be some months before the vaccine is available here.Vaccine maker Merck tied up with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in December 2005 to study it on the Indian population. An India-specific version of Gardasil, the name by which the vaccine is being marketed, has been created for trials, preparations for which are underway at the Institute of Cytology & Clinical Oncology, Noida.“Trials will start in another two months. There are some regulatory approvals that need to be taken,” said Dr N K Ganguly, director-general of ICMR.The agreement with Merck covers a range of activities, including the design of the study. Merck will assist with the process and also supply Gardasil for the trials. On completion, the two partners will together assess the effectiveness of the vaccine and identify ways of providing people access to it.“We will do a one-shot trial, which will take a year, and another one that will take four years. When can the vaccine hit Indian markets depends on the results. We can’t say anything now,” he said.But doctors say most oncology products reach the country soon after they hit international market. So FDA approval means the vaccine could be available earlier.‘‘It usually takes three to six months. So if the vaccine is available by that time it will be great for India,’’ said Dr Sameer Kaul, Oncological Surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo.The vaccine acts against the human papilloma virus (HPV), infection with which has a high degree of correlation with cervical cancer.In India, among women cancer patients, 34 per cent suffer from cervical cancer. To an estimated annual global incidence of 500,000 cervical cancers, India contributes 100,000. It vies for the top spot with breast cancer in the metros—Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.According to ICMR, it is very prevalent in South India, with Chennai leading the chart.“If we look at the distribution of cervical cancer in the world, it is common in low socio-economic areas, especially in slums,” said Dr Sameer Kaul, a senior oncologist at Indraprastha-Apollo hospital, Delhi.This cancer, he said, has a high prevalence among women with multiple sexual partners and also those who do not have access to good healthcare.
