Qiagen NV has embarked commercial launch in India of its careHPV Test. It is the only molecular diagnostic for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) designed to screen women in settings with limited healthcare infrastructure, such as areas lacking electricity, water or laboratories.

HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer in women, so screening for the viral infection would ensure prevention and early treatment of the cancer. The careHPV Test was introduced in China in 2013 and has been used in several other countries.

The careHPV Test for low-resource settings is highly complementary with QIAGEN’s digene HC2 HPV Test, the world’s most validated and sensitive diagnostic test for detection of high-risk HPV. The digene HC2 HPV Test is recognized as the “gold standard” in HPV screening and is widely used in developed countries and in large cities in emerging markets.

About 72,000 women in India succumb to cervical cancer annually and this accounts for over one-fourth of the world’s 270,000 annual deaths. In India, cervical cancer accounts for about 20 per cent of all cancer-related deaths in women and is the number one cause of death in middle-aged Indian women.

“The launch of careHPV in India will help in efforts to reduce the high burden of cervical cancer for women in India,” said Dr Victor Shi, president of QIAGEN Asia Pacific.

Dr Partha Basu, head of the Department of Gynaecological Oncology and Officer In Charge, Division of Preventive Oncology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, noted the importance of the two-tiered approach to screening which was done for four years in Kolkata and surrounding areas, Availability of the careHPV Test is an important step forward for the prevention of cervical cancer in India.”

The portable and easy-to-use careHPV Test combines the power of advanced molecular technologies with innovative design and features. The system has colour-coded, easy-to-understand menus and self-contained reagents. The test tolerates temperature variations that occur in rural clinics lacking refrigeration for sample storage due to limited electricity or water, and can provide results much faster. The careHPV Test was developed with support from PATH, an international non-profit organization, and is manufactured by Qiagen in Shenzhen, China.