ICMR Grants Manufacturing Rights for Sheta‑2 Cervical Cancer Drug and Next‑Gen Vaccines

New Delhi – The Indian Council of Medical Research announced the licensing of three home‑grown biomedical solutions to leading Indian manufacturers. The licences, covering development, scale‑up and commercialization, aim to translate government‑backed research into widely accessible health products. The first asset, “Sheta‑2”, is an anti‑HPV medication for treating cervical intra‑epithelial neoplasia. Mkure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. now holds the rights to produce and market this drug. Developed jointly by Dr. Shaquat Hussain of ICMR‑NICPR and Dr. Doris M. Benbrook of the University of Oklahoma, Sheta‑2 is the first targeted therapy that eradicates HPV‑linked cervical cells while leaving normal cells unharmed, promising a safer and less costly alternative to surgery. The other two licences pertain to next‑generation vaccine technologies created at ICMR‑NIRBI, Kolkata, to fight intestinal bacterial infections. Biological E Ltd. will manufacture a fusion‑based typhoid vaccine featuring the outer‑membrane protein of Salmonella typhi, as well as a recombinant vaccine that simultaneously protects against S. typhi, S. paratyphi and Shigella. The Health Ministry described the move as a pivotal push toward affordable, high‑quality healthcare and an impetus for strengthening India’s biomedical innovation ecosystem.