Cervavac likely to join India's immunization program pending 1-dose trial

India Jun 15, 2026

Serum Institute's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Cervavac, is likely to be added to India's national immunization program after 2027, but only once ongoing trials prove that just one dose works well enough (results expected next year).

Study compares Cervavac and Gardasil

HPV vaccines are key in preventing cervical cancer.
Persistent HPV infection is known to cause nearly 85% of all cervical cancers, the second most common cancer among women, affecting nearly 1.25 lakh women and killing 75,000 each year.
For now, India is using Gardasil (another HPV vaccine) for 14-year-old girls, with plenty of doses supplied until Cervavac is ready.
Researchers are also comparing how well one dose of Cervavac stacks up against Gardasil in the 504-girl antibody study.