Doctors Sound Alert Over Fake Anti-Rabies Vials Detected In Delhi
Doctors warn people to verify suspected counterfeit Abhayrab vials and seek medical advice if they doubt a vaccine’s authenticity or administration site.
Doctors have urged people to be cautious about counterfeit anti-rabies vaccines and to ensure that the vaccine is administered at the recommended site, following the detection of suspected counterfeit vials bearing the label of Abhayrab Batch No. KE25012.
Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh warned that rabies is fatal and said people, who had doubts about the vaccine they received, should immediately consult a healthcare professional.
Responding to queries from healthcare professionals about Abhayrab Batch KE25012, Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) said that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), during an enforcement action, collected vaccine vials from unlicensed residential premises in Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi. The vials carried the Abhayrab label and Batch No. KE25012.
The samples were sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, where they were declared Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and misbranded. IIL said the laboratory report recorded 17 differences between the seized vials and the retention samples of the same batch held by the laboratory. Based on these findings, the company said the tested vials were not manufactured by its Human Biologicals Institute.
IIL clarified that the genuine Batch KE25012 was tested and released by the Central Drugs Laboratory through Batch Release Certificate CDL/2025/8392, dated November 7, 2025. The company said 83,370 vials from the batch were supplied only through its authorised distribution channel and that it had not received any complaints from the market concerning the batch.
IIL said it had submitted its manufacturing, quality-control, reconciliation and distribution records to CDSCO on August 14, 2026. In its representation to the DCGI, dated September 4, it asked the authorities to trace the source of the seized vials and take action against those responsible. The company said it was extending full cooperation with the investigation.
Dr Santosh advised people who had received Abhayrab Batch KE25012 to verify the vaccine with a healthcare professional, particularly if they had doubts about its authenticity. She said the QR code on the vial could also help them check the vaccine information.
She also cautioned that the anti-rabies vaccine should not be administered in the buttocks. Anyone who received a dose at an incorrect site should consult a healthcare professional to determine whether it needs to be repeated.
Dr Santosh further pointed out that the commonly used 10-day observation rule applies to exposures involving dogs and cats, but not in the same manner to those involving other mammals. She stressed that rabies post-exposure treatment should not be delayed or ignored.
