India Flags 'Substandard' Rabies Vaccine: Manufacturer Denies Authenticity Amid Arrests

India's national drug regulator has sounded the alarm on a batch of Abhayrab, a widely used rabies vaccine, declaring it 'substandard' and potentially spurious after it failed critical laboratory tests. This serious development comes as the vaccine's manufacturer, Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), vehemently denies that the seized vials, marked Batch KE25012, were produced by their company, prompting a high-stakes investigation into a suspected counterfeit operation. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) issued a nationwide alert on August 27, directing state drug regulators to maintain strict vigilance over the flagged batch, particularly after the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli found it failed potency requirements and displayed multiple discrepancies in packaging and QR codes. This isn't the first time Abhayrab has faced such issues; in January 2025, IIL itself reported a counterfeit batch, Batch KA24014, which triggered international warnings, highlighting a recurring threat to public health in a country where rabies claims nearly 6,000 lives annually. With four individuals already arrested in connection with the seized vials from an unlicensed premises in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, authorities are now racing to trace the full extent of this alleged spurious drug network. IIL, while cooperating with the probe, assures that genuine Abhayrab vaccines distributed through authorized channels remain safe, having undergone independent government testing. The immediate focus is on disrupting these illicit supply chains and restoring public trust in a life-saving vaccine.