Drug regulator cracks down after misbranded Abhayrab rabies vaccine seized in Delhi

A seized batch of Abhayrab rabies vaccine from an unlicensed Delhi premises was found misbranded and substandard. The finding has triggered tighter nationwide surveillance and legal action against unauthorised drug networks.Delhi Police's Crime Branch, along with drugs inspectors from the Delhi government's Drugs Control Department, searched the premises and seized the vaccine. ( Representational Image)Regulatory and law enforcement agencies have intensified action against the illegal manufacture and distribution of spurious drugs after a batch of Abhayrab rabies vaccine was seized and later found to be misbranded, according to a notice from the Drugs Controller General of India.The notice said the agencies are maintaining "strict and continuous surveillance" to identify and disrupt unauthorised drug supply networks and safeguard the quality and safety of medicines available to the public.The action follows the seizure of Abhayrab rabies vaccine bearing batch number KE25012 from an unlicensed premises in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar on April 22. The notice said the vaccine was found to be "misbranded" and "not manufactured by Indian Immunologicals Ltd.", while the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli later reported it as "misbranded and not of standard quality".As part of the enforcement action, Delhi Police's Crime Branch, along with drugs inspectors from the Delhi government's Drugs Control Department, searched the premises and seized the vaccine. Officials from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation were then called in for legal sampling, and the samples were sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, for examination. The laboratory's findings, including details of the misbranding detected in the seized product, were later communicated by the DCGI to states and Union territories for regulatory vigilance and necessary action. In a communication dated August 27, the DCGI asked all state drug controllers to alert their inspectorate staff and maintain strict vigilance over the movement, distribution and availability of the affected batch. States were also asked to take appropriate regulatory action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the rules framed under it.As a precautionary measure, the manufacturer of Abhayrab issued a public communication on the misbranded product and reaffirmed its commitment to quality, saying every batch of Abhayrab is released for sale only after independent testing and batch-release certification by the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli. The notice said vaccines given at hospitals, clinics and government healthcare facilities, or dispensed through licensed pharmacies, reach patients through the authorised and regulated supply chain after the prescribed quality-control and batch-release procedures. It also said no part of the batch in question was exported to any other country.The seizure and follow-up action are part of an ongoing surveillance and enforcement mechanism to detect unauthorised manufacturing and distribution activities and prevent the circulation of misbranded and spurious medicines.The development comes amid intensified scrutiny of the authenticity and quality of medicines supplied through unauthorised channels. "Four persons have been arrested by Delhi Police" in connection with the case, the notice said, adding that further investigation and appropriate legal action are being taken by the competent authorities.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 6, 2026 05:52 IST