The pharmaceutical company Nanolek, together with the Industrial Development Fund (IDF), has launched Russia’s first full-cycle production of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The vaccine is designed to protect against the most common HPV types that cause cervical cancer, reports an RIA Novosti correspondent.

“Today, before we start production, I want to emphasize that we are not just launching a full-cycle manufacturing process — we are making a crucial step in the technological development of our country. The HPV project includes the construction of two production sites for antigen manufacturing. The first site opens today, with a capacity of over 600,000 doses per year. The first batches of HPV vaccines will enter civilian circulation in the second half of 2026,”

said Evgeny Barinov, General Director of Nanolek, during the production launch ceremony.

According to Barinov, Nanolek plans to expand production to 3.5 million doses per year by 2027.

“This will allow us not only to meet all the needs of the Russian healthcare system but also to enter the international market,” he added.

Barinov emphasized that the total investment in the HPV vaccine project amounts to 7.5 billion rubles, of which 950 million rubles were provided by the Industrial Development Fund as a preferential loan under its flagship “Development Projects” program for the purchase of high-tech equipment.

The company also noted that the prevalence of oncogenic HPV types in Russia ranges from 13% to 40%. About 99% of all cervical cancer cases worldwide—approximately 600,000 women annually—are caused by HPV infection.

In September, Nguyen Viet Khoa, General Director of Pharmviet JSC, told RIA Novosti that Vietnam is interested in the Russian HPV vaccine and plans to purchase it from Russia in 2026 as an alternative to the significantly more expensive American version.