Counterfeit rabies vaccine (ABHAYRAB®) in India

Counterfeit Abhayrab® rabies vaccine has been circulating in India since 1 November 2023. While this product is not available in Australia, it may impact people who have had partial or full post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) while in India.

People are impacted if they:

received rabies vaccine in India from 1 November 2023 onwards, and
were administered one or more doses of Abhayrab®, or if the vaccine brand administered is unknown.

Since it is difficult to tell whether the genuine or the fake Abhayrab® product was used, as a precaution anyone who was administered Abhayrab® in India should be considered to have had the counterfeit vaccine.

People who completed their full rabies vaccine course in a country other than India, including Australia, are not affected by this alert.

Recommendations:

For people who have returned to Australia and who received one or more rabies vaccine in India since 1 November 2023:

replace any dose(s) of Abhayrab® or any doses where the vaccine brand was unknown, with dose(s) of a valid rabies vaccine registered in Australia (Rabipur® or Verorab®). See ATAGI advice for further detail.
request blood for rabies serum antibody serology (SST/GEL tube (GOLD)) and send to NSW Health Pathology Westmead for testing. Indicate on request form to ‘bill to Health Protection NSW’. If titres is <0.5 IU/ml, seek expert advice or call your local public health unit.

Further information here