A very serious and hair-raising case related to black drug trade has come to light in the capital Delhi. The Drugs Control Department of Delhi Government, while conducting raids based on intelligence information, has exposed a large interstate network of fake anti-rabies vaccine that protects against the deadly disease rabies.
Officials seized several items worth approximately ₹2 lakh in the market during the raid. 481 Units (Vials) Fake Rabies Vaccine Recovered and confiscated. This vaccine, given after the bite of a mad dog or other animals, is directly related to the life and death of a human being. If an infected patient had received this fake injection instead of the real medicine, it would have been impossible to save the patient’s life due to the spread of rabies infection.
According to officials of the Drug Controller Department, the initial investigation into the supply chain of this entire network has involved the industrial cities of the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur Wires have been found connected to:
-
Illegal supply from drug markets: Investigation has revealed that the consignment of this fake vaccine was sent from Kanpur through unregistered dealers parallel to the wholesale market for consumption in major medical stores and small private clinics of the capital Delhi.
-
Questionable Billing Network: The seized stock neither had any valid purchase receipt nor official distribution invoice of the company. The network was being operated on a cash-on-delivery model through unlicensed intermediaries.
-
Special investigation team formed: The Delhi Drug Control Department has contacted the Drug Administration of Uttar Pradesh and the local police to reach the secret hideout or illegal factory in Kanpur where these fake vaccines were being packaged and bottled.
Preliminary investigation of 481 vials seized during the raid has revealed many shocking and scary things:
-
Exact copy of reputed brand: The seized vaccines were labeled with a popular brand of one of the country’s top drug manufacturing companies. The packaging, font, barcode and batch number of the vial were copied so clearly that it was very difficult for an ordinary chemist or doctor to differentiate between the original and the fake at first glance.
-
Absence of active element (No Active Antigen): Experts believe that such fake vaccines usually do not contain the necessary active antigen or antibodies to neutralize rabies. These are simply filled with sterilized water, saline salt or other common inert powders.
-
Complete absence of cold chain: It is mandatory to keep sensitive biologics like rabies at a controlled temperature of 2°C to 8°C. This illegal racket was transporting these counterfeit vials in normal cartons and bags without any cold chain maintenance, which in itself could pose a major risk of fungal or bacterial infection.
According to medical science, rabies is one of the deadliest diseases in the world.
-
Once the rabies virus reaches the human central nervous system (brain) and symptoms such as hydrophobia (fear of water) emerge, the disease mortality rate 100 percent it occurs.
-
The ‘Anti-Rabies Vaccine’ (ARV), given after a dog, cat or monkey bite, prevents the virus from reaching the brain by producing antibodies in the patient’s body in time.
-
If a victim is given a dose of fake vaccine, no protective mechanism will develop in his body and the person will die without any warning.
The Delhi Drug Administration has immediately sealed all the 481 seized vials and sent their random samples to the forensic and government drug testing laboratories for chemical testing.
-
Case under Drugs and Cosmetics Act: A strict FIR is being registered against the accused under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code (adulteration, fraud and endangering human life).
-
Circular issued to chemists: The Health Department has issued clear instructions to all wholesale and retail drug dealers in Delhi-NCR not to purchase vaccines from any unauthorized dealer. The vaccine should be purchased only from authorized distributors of the company with valid GST bill and cold-chain logbook.
-
Alert for patients and caregivers: Citizens have been advised to always get the vaccine for dog or animal bite only from government hospitals, authorized dispensaries or big recognized hospitals and must check the authenticity of the batch number and QR code while purchasing from private medical stores.