PATH (Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health), a non-governmental, non-profit organization is collaborating with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) towards taking a methodical approach to develop future prevention strategies against cancer of the cervix.

This initiative is part of a global project for India, Peru, Uganda and Vietnam on prevention and control of cancer of the cervix. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which is funding the global project for India, Peru, Uganda, and Vietnam, has estimated the cost at around US$ 28 million.

The project will cover building awareness and promoting a comprehensive prevention package: vaccination of girls to prevent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection apart from screening and treatment of adult women who show pre-cancerous signs like the cervical lesions which can be detected in a number of ways.

In this connection, PATH will be generating evidence through demonstration projects in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat which will take off later this year after obtaining government clearances. These demonstration projects will be conducted in collaboration with the state governments with the support and guidance of the Union ministry of health.

Two global pharma majors Merck (MSD India) with 'Gardasil' and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with 'Cervarix' have agreed to donate the vaccines required for these demonstration projects. PATH is not funded by any of these pharmaceutical companies for these projects and does not prioritize any one vaccine from any particular manufacturer. One vaccine will be used in one state, the other vaccine in the other state. The purpose of the demonstration project is to evaluate the vaccine delivery strategies with in regard to coverage, acceptability, feasibility and cost of the programme, Martha Jacob, programme director, HPV Vaccine Development Programme, PATH told Pharmabiz.

Under its collaboration with ICMR, state governments and other partners, PATH will generate critical data and experience for evidence-based decision making about whether, when and how to introduce HPV vaccine into India's public sector immunization programme as a part of the broader prevention and control strategy for cancer of the cervix, she added.

Presently Path is implementing two cervical cancer prevention projects in each of the four countries. One is the "HPV Vaccines: Evidence for Impact" between 2006-2011 project that focuses on primary prevention. The other is "Screening Technologies to Advance Rapid Testing-Utility and Program Planning (START-UP) between 2008-2012 to address the secondary prevention of the deadly disease. The project is at different stages of implementation in the four countries.

In India, the key objective of the "HPV Vaccines: Evidence for Impact" project in India is to generate critical data and experience for evidence based decision making about whether and how to introduce HPV vaccines into India's public sector immunization programme as part of a broader prevention and control strategy of cancer of the cervix. In fact, the demonstration project in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat comes under the "HPV Vaccines: Evidence for Impact" project, stated Ms. Jacob.

In India, PATH has been working since 1998 in the areas of new vaccines and health technologies, safe motherhood and safer childbirth, HIV and reproductive health and immunization service delivery.