INDONESIA — The Indonesian state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma has signed a contract with Merck to locally produce the MSD 4-valent HPV vaccine in a bid to combat HPV-linked cervical cancer in the country.
Cervical cancer is the fourth-most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
About 90% of new cases and deaths worldwide occurred in low- and middle-income countries that year underlining urgency of HPV vaccine rollout in those countries.
Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among Indonesian women. According to the Indonesian health ministry, the disease killed more than 36,000 people in Indonesia by 2021, and the Bio Farma-Merck agreement is intended to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases in the country.
The country is now looking to manufacture Merck’s vaccine in addition to raising awareness and encouraging women to get the HPV vaccine.
According to the most recent statistics from HPV Information Centre data, Indonesia has approximately 99.8 million women aged 15 and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
According to the center’s estimates, approximately 36,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and approximately 21,000 women die from the disease.
Indonesian authorities aim to give the shots to 1.4 million girls next year, the company said, adding it aimed to produce 2.8 million doses given the two-shot regime recommended to inoculate against HPV-linked cervical cancer.
At the moment, two- or three-dose regimens are recommended, but the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization said evidence showed that one dose was as effective.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that spreads through skin contact. Experts say early treatment prevents up to 80 percent of cervical cancer.
The World Health Organization says HPV vaccination is recommended as part of a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases caused by the HPV.
Meanwhile, the government of Nepal is set to roll out HPV vaccination next year. Nepal has a high burden of cervical cancer primarily due to a limited screening program.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the HPV vaccine for routine vaccination at ages 11 or 12 years and everyone through age 26 years if not adequately vaccinated when younger.
However, vaccination is not recommended for people older than age 26.
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