Cervical cancer vaccine trial may restart early next year

After a government-appointed committee said that the death of four girls in Andhra Pradesh was most probably unrelated to the use of the vaccine...

After a government-appointed committee said that the death of four girls who had been administered Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in Andhra Pradesh was most probably unrelated to the use of the vaccine,sources in the Health Ministry have said efforts will be made to ensure that the stalled drug trial be restarted by early next year.

A senior official from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),who did not want to be named,said,We have maintained that of the four girls,two committed suicide and one died of malnutrition. The cause of death of the fourth was not established. But since the matter was taken to Parliament,it was only logical that an independent committee investigate the matter.

He added that the vaccine continued to be used by private hospitals. All leading private hospitals are prescribing the vaccine,and we know that cancer specialists and gynecologists believe the vaccine has great potential.

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However,he said that a detailed report on problems associated with the planning and implementation of the study was still awaited.

Dr V M Katoch,Director General of ICMR and Secretary,Department of Health,said,Once all doubts regarding the vaccine are cleared,there is no reason why we cannot work towards a national programme for HPV vaccination. He added that though cost viability of the vaccine was repeatedly questioned,that was a problem that could be dealt with.

If the cost of the Hepatitis B vaccine could be brought down,we can do so with HPV, he said. We are working on two levels one to come up with a suitable preventive mechanism for cervical cancer,and secondly to plan for a national screening programme to detect the disease at a nascent stage.

Not only were the trials conducted by ICMR in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh halted after CPM leader Brinda Karat raised problems with the study in Parliament,Tata Memorial Hospitals investigations in rural Maharashtra to bring down the current prescribed three doses of HPV to two,also had to be closed for a year. The trial was abruptly stopped by a government order, said Dr Surendra Shastri,head of TMHs preventive oncology department.

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Senior doctors from the institution confirmed that they had received verbal intimation from ICMR to resume soon.