India’s interim federal budget 2024 mentions an intention to “encourage vaccination” for 9-to-14-year-old girls against HPV
The move is seen as a precursor to inclusion of the HPV vaccine on India’s national immunization program called the Universal Immunization Program (UIP)
MSD and Serum Institute are the only companies with HPV vaccines in India after GSK’s exit from the field
Serum’s Cervavac is available at almost half the price of Merck’s Gardasil 4
UIP contracts, though likely to be competitive on pricing, could generate huge volume sales
Serum Institute intends to hike annual production capacity for the HPV vaccine
Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in India, with 511.4 million women ages 15 years and older at risk of developing cervical cancer
The COVID-19 experience bolstered the government’s infrastructure and expertise required for large-scale immunization efforts

Merck, Serum Institute Face-off Looms With HPV Vaccination Support In India’s Interim Budget

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