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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
India's drug regulator has flagged a batch of Abhayrab, the country's leading rabies vaccine, as substandard and potentially counterfeit after it failed a potency test. This is the second such scare in under two years for a country that records nearly 6,000 rabies deaths annually. Regulators have ordered strict vigilance over the batch's distribution while an investigation into its authenticity is underway.
India's Central Drugs Laboratory has found that a field sample of Abhayrab — the country's most widely used rabies vaccine — failed potency requirements and showed suspicious discrepancies in labelling, QR codes, cap colour, and packaging compared to the manufacturer's reference sample. India's Drugs Controller General has since directed state regulators to maintain "strict vigilance" over batch KE25012 and take regulatory action as needed, while an investigation into whether the product qualifies as a spurious drug under Indian law is underway.
This is the second counterfeit Abhayrab scare in less than two years. In January 2025, manufacturer Indian Immunologicals itself flagged a fake batch (KA24014), prompting travel alerts from health authorities in the US, UK, and Australia. The company, which holds a 40% share of India's domestic rabies vaccine market and has supplied over 210 million doses globally, has not yet responded to the latest findings.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms appear, making vaccine integrity a life-or-death issue. With counterfeit doses potentially circulating in a country bearing one of the world's highest rabies death tolls — and exports reaching over 40 nations — the stakes extend well beyond India's borders.
