New Delhi: The Delhi Drugs Control Department has seized 481 units of counterfeit Purified Vero Cell Rabies Vaccine (Abhayrab) from a firm in Central Delhi’s Bhagirath Palace, with the supply traced to an agency in Kanpur, according to a government release.
The seizure, involving vaccine stock worth around Rs 2 lakh, followed raids at three premises of the Delhi-based firm. The raids were conducted on the direction of Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh.
The original manufacturer, Human Biologicals Institute, Telangana, the human health and vaccine division of Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), confirmed that the seized batch was counterfeit and had not been released by the company.
Of the seized stock, 120 vials were collected as legal samples and sent to the Central Research Institute in Kasauli for testing. The remaining 361 units, along with seven purchase invoices, were seized under relevant provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
During questioning, the Delhi firm told investigators that it had procured the vaccines from an agency in Kanpur. The information was subsequently shared with the Uttar Pradesh State Drug Department, which conducted raids at two locations, including the Kanpur agency, and confirmed that it was the source of the supply.
Authorities are now tracing the wider distribution network.
Singh said the Delhi government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards spurious medicines and vaccines, particularly given the potentially fatal nature of rabies.
IIL said every batch of Abhayrab undergoes independent government testing before release and clarified that vaccines supplied through authorised channels, including hospitals and licensed pharmacies, remain unaffected.
A 2025 ICMR study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases estimated that India records around 5,726 human rabies deaths annually, with dogs accounting for three-fourths of animal bites.
