TEHRAN – A homegrown human papillomavirus (HPV) quadrivalent recombinant vaccine has been supplied to the domestic market for the first time.

HPV is one of the most common infections causing genital warts or cervical cancer in women. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the disease. The vaccine has already been introduced in 140 countries.

Emphasizing that the vaccine has been developed using domestic knowledge and technology, Mehdi Pirsalehi, the director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that it has completed all stages of clinical trials, IRNA reported. 

The strategic product is an effective step towards reducing reliance on imported vaccines, meeting the country’s needs in preventing HPV-related diseases, particularly in women, as well as laying the ground for exporting the vaccine. 

In January, Alireza Raeisi, an official with the health ministry, said the health ministry is planning to include HPV vaccination in the country’s immunization program to prevent the prevalence of cervical cancer and genital warts infection.

“Genital warts are not common in the country, so the vaccination mainly focuses on the prevention of the infection,” IRNA quoted Raeisi as saying.

HPV vaccine, the same as the influenza vaccine, will be recommended for those at higher risk of getting the disease, the official noted.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have already started the national implementation of the HPV vaccination for the target population.

The official went on to say that a bivalent HPV vaccine targeting subtypes 16 and 18 associated with many cervical cancers has already been produced in the country. However, the vaccine is not effective enough against types 6 and 11, which are responsible for genital warts.

According to Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi, the issue of medicine and medical equipment production and self-sufficiency in these areas is one of the government’s priorities. 

Medicine and medical equipment are two important areas related to people’s health, he said, adding: “We are trying to reach self-sufficiency for the supply of medicine and medical equipment,” IRNA reported.

MT/MG