BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, has announced a strategic partnership with Gurugram-based startup Healthians, a premier diagnostics service provider, to advance cervical cancer screening by offering an innovative option for women in India to self-collect a sample in the privacy of their own homes.

Deepak Sahni, Founder & Chairman, Healthians said, “With our HPV self-testing initiative, we're providing a path to early detection of cervical cancer, levelling the playing field in a battle where time is of essence. With our strong foothold in the market as a Direct-to-Consumer player since our inception in 2014, we believe we are in the best position to bring about substantial awareness on cervical cancer risk screening, offering women a convenient platform to get tested from the privacy of their homes."

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, recognizing the potential to virtually eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat. The strategy established clear targets to achieve by 2030 for HPV vaccination coverage (>90%), screening coverage (>70%) and access to treatment (>90%)^.

Commenting on the launch, Atul Grover, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia said, “Cervical cancer ranks as the second most common cancer, however, is one of the most preventable and treatable types of cancer if detected early. The key to prevention and patient safety lies in timely screening. Our at-home self-collection, in partnership with Healthians aims to provide women exactly that - increased access to HPV testing by enabling them to collect a sample in the privacy of their homes. This is aligned with BD’s purpose of advancing the world of health by expanding access to healthcare for superior patient outcomes.”

Image caption- Deepak Sahni, Founder & Chairman, Healthians (left) and Atul Grover, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia (right)