New Delhi, Dec 27 (NationPress) Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) on Saturday dismissed allegations made by Australian health officials regarding counterfeit doses of its anti-rabies vaccine Abhayrab being distributed in India.

This week, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation released a warning indicating that fraudulent batches of the rabies vaccine have been in circulation in India since November 2023.

IIL has been producing Abhayrab domestically since the year 2000.

In their statement, the company “strongly refuted the over-cautionary and misplaced reference to 2023”, asserting that the alert “does not reflect the current situation”.

According to Sunil Tiwari, Vice President and Head of Quality Management at IIL, “IIL aims to reassure stakeholders that the company’s pharmacovigilance and quality systems are robust, and that the public can continue to place confidence in vaccines supplied directly by IIL and its authorised channels.”

Since 2000, more than 210 million doses of Abhayrab have been distributed throughout India and in 40 countries, maintaining a 40 percent market share in India.

Australian health officials have stated that individuals who inadvertently received the counterfeit vaccine may not have complete protection against rabies, urging those vaccinated with Abhayrab from November 1, 2023, onward to consult their healthcare provider for possible replacement doses.

“In January 2025, IIL proactively identified a packaging anomaly in one specific batch (Batch # KA 24014). The company promptly notified Indian regulators and law enforcement agencies, lodged a formal complaint, and collaborated with authorities to ensure rapid action,” IIL affirmed.

The company labeled this incident as an “isolated occurrence”, emphasizing that “the counterfeit batch is no longer available on the shelves”.

IIL also assured healthcare professionals and the public regarding the safety of its vaccines.

“Every batch of vaccine produced in India undergoes testing and is released by the Central Drugs Laboratory (Government of India) before it is made available for sale or administration. Supplies through government institutions and authorized distributors are guaranteed to be safe and of high quality,” the company stated.

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that impacts the central nervous system, with infected dogs being the primary source of the virus in most human rabies cases.

This disease is fatal in 100 percent of instances once it infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms manifest.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that India witnesses 18,000–20,000 rabies deaths every year, predominantly resulting from dog bites.