NEW DELHI: Women in India will soon have their own vaccine against cervical cancer, popularly known as the "poor woman's disease."It occurs in the lining of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus (womb) that enters the vagina.

Scientists at the Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology, Noida have identified the Indian variant of the Human Papilloma Virus 16 and 18, that causes cervical cancer.

ICPO is now using the variant to develop the India specific vaccine. They hope to be ready with it by 2008. Presently, there are only two vaccines, which are in the testing stage, claim to cure cervical cancer.

One has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline in Belgium and the other by Merck pharmaceutical laboratories in US. However, both of these are very expensive and can cost up to Rs 30,000 for a single dose.

They are also degradable and has to be kept at temperatures below -20ºC to -50ºC. "Both these factors are difficult to maintain in India. Most cervical cancer cases are found in rural areas. How can they pay Rs 30,000 for a single dose of the vaccine? The Indian vaccine will cost 80% lesser and will be adaptable to room temperature,"Dr B C Das, director of ICPO said.

He added: "The Indian vaccine will be DNA based. The two international ones are protein based, which expire very quickly if not kept in low temperatures."

ICPO officials also revealed that the two foreign vaccines are being brought to India in early 2006 through ICMR for clinical trials, to check its feasibility among Indian women. "We want to know whether the two international vaccines will work on Indian women.

Our vaccine won't be on the same genome as the ones made by Merck or GSK. Otherwise we won't be able to patent it. We are presently screening the Indian variant of HPV, which is highly prevalent. Then, we will carry out animal and human trials," officials added.