MSD Pharmaceuticals (India), the local affiliate of Merck & Co, has launched Gardasil (quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine), as India's first vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.

The vaccine, first launched globally in 2006 and approved in more than 100 countries worldwide, is touted to be the only vaccine that helps protect against 4 types (type 6,11,16,18) of HPV.

Launching the product, MSD India managing director Dr Naveen A Rao said the vaccine was priced at Rs 2800 per dose and the company was willing to further cut down the prices for the public sector. "Women in India have a 2.5 per cent lifetime risk to get cervical cancer, which is double the worldwide risk. As many as 200 women die of cervical cancer every day in the country," he said.

The vaccine is advised for women between the age of 9 and 26 and three shots within a period of six months are expected to give a lifetime cover against cervical cancer. The company officials also claimed that as per the early statistics, it was found to be effective in 98 per cent of cases worldwide and no adverse reaction report had been cited yet.

The company have so far distributed 36 million doses across the world and trials were conducted in 17 countries involving over 23,000 women. In some countries like Australia, it had been included for the compulsory immunisation against cervical cancer for girls below the age of 15.

"India has a population of 365.71 million women aged 15 years and older who are at the risk of developing cervical cancer. Every year, 132,082 women are diagnosed with this disease, accounting for 26.7 per cent of the worldwide incidence. In the case deaths due to this disease, the country accounts for 27 per cent of the deaths worldwide," company officials said, citing the studies in this regard.