Russia’s first domestic vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the production of which was recently launched at the Nanolek plant near Kirov, could be twice cheaper than the imported one. This was reported to TASS by Aleksandr Rumyantsev, a member of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection.
He noted that work is underway to include HPV vaccination in the National Vaccination Calendar so that the shot can be received free of charge. According to Rumyantsev, vaccination should be provided for both boys and girls, “because boys are carriers of these viruses.” “We plan to achieve the inclusion of HPV vaccination in the National Vaccination Calendar next year,” the deputy said.
In Russia, until recently, only foreign drugs were used for HPV prevention. On October 29, the biopharmaceutical company Nanolek launched the first full-cycle production of the HPV vaccine in Russia – from the active pharmaceutical substance to the finished drug. The first batches of the Cegardex vaccine are scheduled to enter the market in the second half of 2026, by 2027, the company plans to produce more than 3 million doses per year, which will meet domestic demand and bring the drug to the international market.
The vaccine was approved for use in adults in March of this year, with authorization for children expected in February 2026.
Investments in the HPV project amounted to 7.5 billion rubles. According to the Nanolek company, launch marks the first phase of a major investment initiative valued at over 15 billion rubles, which will expand the site’s capacity to produce vaccines against other diseases such as meningococcal infection and chickenpox.