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Fake rabies vaccine available in India since 2023, claims Australia: Pharma co refutes charges

Company says it identified a specific batch with a different packaging in January on which action was taken; no instance of counterfeit batch since

3 min readUpdated: Dec 28, 2025 07:46 AM IST

Abhayrab, Indian Immunologicals Limited, IIL, counterfeit vaccines,

The company went on to say that in January this year, the company proactively identified in the market a specific batch of the vaccine (#KA24014) with a different packaging. (File photo)

The Australian health department has raised an alert against a leading Indian anti-rabies vaccine, stating that counterfeits have been circulating in India since November 2023. The alert urged people who received the vaccine Abhayrab to reach out to their healthcare providers to check whether they needed a replacement dose.

However, Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), one of India’s leading vaccine manufacturers, has issued a clarification, countering the charge that fake vaccines had been in circulation. It released a statement that read, “The company strongly refuted the over-cautionary and misplaced reference to 2023 made in a recent Australian health advisory, stressing that it does not reflect the current situation. IIL has already written to the Australian Health authorities to consider revising the advisory.”

The company went on to say that in January this year, the company proactively identified in the market a specific batch of the vaccine (#KA24014) with a different packaging. The Indian regulators and law enforcement agencies were immediately notified and action was taken. The company further said that there were no complaints regarding the genuine products bearing the same batch number as well. “There is no instance of any other counterfeit batch in the market beyond Batch no. #KA24014,” it said.

The alert, which was raised earlier this week, said, “This vaccine is not available in Australia but people who have received this vaccine while in India may be impacted.” The alert further asked all healthcare professionals to replace any doses of Abhayrab or an unknown vaccine received in India with other vaccines registered in Australia.

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“It is difficult to confirm whether a person has received a genuine or counterfeit vaccine. As a precaution, people who have received any dose of Abhayrab in India from November 1, 2023 onwards should be considered to have potentially received the counterfeit vaccine and offered replacement doses,” the alert added.

The alert also asks people travelling to countries where rabies occurs to avoid contact with wild and domestic animals, seek medical care if bitten, scratched or exposed to the saliva of an animal, and keep detailed records of any vaccine received in other countries. It also asks the people to have a discussion with their GP upon returning to Australia.

The “immunisation handbook” from the Australian health department continues to accept several rabies vaccines from India, including those manufactured by Cadila, Serum Institute of India, and Bharat Biotech among others. The Abhayrab vaccine also continues to be accepted in the country, provided it has not been administered in India.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More