Why have Indian vaccines been denounced worldwide?
Mission Indradhanush and the counterfeit drug trade in India. Banerjee, Yajnavalka. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, (2015) Volume 15, Issue 12, 1379 - 1380.
Tiny lives, big failures: India's drug regulation crisis. The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia. Tiny lives, big failures: India's drug regulation crisis. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia. 2025 Dec 19;43:100705. doi: 10.1016/j.lansea.2025.100705. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lansea/article/PIIS2772-3682(25)00176-3/fulltext
The Massive Failures of India’s Drug Regulatory System. 2025. https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/massive-failures-indias-drug-regulatory-system#:~:text=India%20has%20around%2010%2C500%20pharmaceutical,%E2%80%94%20263%20drugs%20%E2%80%94%20were%20spurious.
Book review: How rotten is drug regulation in India?
Recent incidents
The pharmaceutical manufacturer Indian Immunologicals Limited has reported that a counterfeit (fake) batch of the rabies vaccine Abhayrab® has been circulating in India since 2023.
Health authorities in Australia and the United States (CDC) have issued an unusual warning regarding the circulation of counterfeit human anti-rabies vaccines in India. The alerts specifically flag fake versions of 'Abhayrab,' a widely used vaccine manufactured by Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBAvVzt0j1c
Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), one of India’s leading vaccine manufacturers, has refuted claims by Australian health authorities over fake doses of its antirabies vaccine Abhayrab in India. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/indian-immunologicals-limited-refutes-claims-by-australian-health-authorities-on-fake-abhayrab-vaccine-doses/
Delhi Drugs Control Dept Warns of Fake Anti-Rabies Vaccine in Major Cities: A counterfeit version of the human anti-rabies vaccine Abhayrab, in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, has become a cause of concern for the Delhi Drugs Control Department. (DDCD). The regulatory body issued an urgent warning about the circulation of the fake vaccine, which is said to be falsely labelled as a product of Indian Immunologicals Limited, a government agency. https://m.thewire.in/article/health/delhi-drugs-control-dept-warns-of-fake-anti-rabies-vaccine-in-major-cities/amp
Fake COVID-19 vaccines: scams hampering the vaccination drive in India and possibly other countries,
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has identified counterfeit versions of India's primary Covid vaccine, Covishield. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58253488
https://www.the-independent.com/asia/india/covid-vaccine-fake-covishield-who-b1904619.html
Fake yellow fever vaccine attracts govt crackdown. There have been reports of private centres providing the shots illegally in certain parts of the country. Updated on: May 24, 2023. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-government-cracks-down-on-unauthorised-yellow-fever-vaccination-centres-and-fake-certificates-to-prevent-disease-spread-and-quarantine-101684867348341.html
Substandard, fake medical products increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021 during the pandemic: report. Criminals saw the crisis as an opportunity to sell more such products, taking advantage of the vulnerability of people in need, ASPA president says. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/substandard-fake-medical-products-increased-by-almost-47-from-2020-to-2021-during-pandemic-report/article65270728.ece
The detection of contaminated vials of type-2 polio vaccine among batches administered to children in some parts of the country has sparked concern in medical and government circles, besides the public. A private pharmaceutical company reportedly reintroduced the virus in at least 150,000 vials of its oral vaccine, which were then administered to children in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana. https://qz.com/india/1413018/polio-scare-resurfaces-in-india-who-calms-nerves
