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A suspected counterfeit rabies vaccine racket was uncovered following a raid at a residential flat in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar earlier this year, the Central Drug Standards and Control Organisation (CDSCO) said in a statement on Saturday.

The regulator said searches conducted in April by the Crime Branch and Delhi Police, along with Drugs Inspectors from the Drugs Control Department, led to the recovery of spurious samples of Abhayrab, a human rabies vaccine. Four people were arrested in connection with the case.

The seized vials carried the Abhayrab label and bore batch number KE25012. However, laboratory testing established that the vaccine had not been manufactured by Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), the company that produces Abhayrab and accounts for around 40 per cent of the domestic rabies vaccine market.

Fake Vaccine Failed Potency Test

A field sample of the seized vaccine was tested at the government's Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) in Kasauli. The sample failed to meet the required potency standards and was categorised as "not of standard quality" and a "misbranded" drug, officials said.

"The CDSCO drew vaccine samples from an unlicensed residential premises located at Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi," IIL Vice President, Quality Management, Sunil Tiwari, said in a statement on Friday.

According to IIL, the CDL report identified 17 differences between the seized vials and the company's retention samples from the same batch. The discrepancies related to labelling, artwork, QR code verification, cap colour, licence information and packaging text, among other details.

IIL Says Genuine Batch Cleared Government Checks

IIL said the genuine batch had been released only after undergoing government-mandated checks. A total of 83,370 vials from the batch were supplied through the company's authorised distribution network, it said.

The company added that it had received no complaints from the market regarding the genuine batch.

IIL said it has provided CDSCO with its manufacturing and distribution records and urged authorities to investigate and identify the source of the counterfeit vials.

Drug Controllers Asked To Monitor Vaccine Movement

The development follows a communication issued by the Drugs Controller General of India on August 27, directing state drug controllers to increase surveillance of the movement and availability of the affected batch.

The states were also informed about the specific instances of misbranding so that regulatory action could be taken.

IIL has maintained that every batch of Abhayrab undergoes independent government testing before being released. The company also said vaccines distributed through authorised channels, including hospitals and licensed pharmacies, were not affected by the issue.

India Continues To Face Heavy Rabies Burden

The case has once again highlighted India's longstanding struggle with rabies. A 2025 study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, estimated that around 5,726 people die of rabies in India every year.

The study was based on a nationwide survey covering nearly 79,000 households and found that dogs were responsible for three out of every four animal bites reported in the country.