Kerala Medical Services Corporation not procured rabies vaccine without CDL certificate: Health Minister

Written by Ruchika Sharma Published On 2025-08-04T16:23:17+05:30 | Updated On 4 Aug 2025 4:23 PM IST

Kerala Medical Services Corporation not procured rabies jabs without CDL certificate: Nadda

New Delhi: The Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) has not procured or distributed any batch of rabies vaccine or equine anti-rabies immunoglobulin without a batch release certificate from the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed Parliament.

Nadda said this in a reply to a question raised in Lok Sabha, whether the manufacturers supplying anti-rabies vaccine to KMSCL had done the mandatory tests from the CDL during the last five years and the current year.

"As informed by Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL), all Rabies Vaccines and Equine Anti-Rabies Immunoglobulins procured and distributed by them from the tender year 2016-17 onwards have obtained Batch Release Certificates from Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kasauli, as mandated in the tender terms and conditions," Nadda said.

"KMSCL has not procured or distributed any batch of Rabies vaccine or Equine Anti-rabies Immunoglobulin without a batch release certificate from CDL," Nadda said.

For the manufacturing or import of new drugs, including vaccines, the manufacturers and importers are required to comply with the standards of quality, safety and efficacy as prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules.

The mandatory quality requirements prescribed to ensure the quality of anti-rabies vaccines being manufactured in the country include a manufacturing licence and import licence issued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules and that the anti-rabies vaccine must comply with the standards specified in the current edition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia.

Each batch must undergo complete in-house quality control testing at the manufacturer's facility according to validated procedures and IP standards.

Each batch or lot of vaccines manufactured or imported in the country is required to be released by the CDL at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh before the release of vaccines for sale and distribution, Nadda explained.

According to PTI, he said that proper cold chain logistics, two degrees Celsius to eight degrees Celsius must be maintained throughout storage and transportation to preserve vaccine potency and vaccines must have a valid remaining shelf life at the time of supply and should be packaged to ensure protection during transit and storage.

According to Rule 2(w) of New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules, 2019, vaccines are always deemed to be new drugs.

All manufacturers of vaccines have to comply with the conditions of mandatory quality tests apart from other conditions of licence as prescribed under Rules 78 and 78A of Drug Rules, 1945 and both the Central License Approving Authority (CLAA) and state licensing authorities are empowered to take stringent action against violation of provisions of the Act and Rules.

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Source : with inputs

Ruchika Sharma

Ruchika Sharma joined Medical Dialogue as an Correspondent for the Business Section in 2019. She covers all the updates in the Pharmaceutical field, Policy, Insurance, Business Healthcare, Medical News, Health News, Pharma News, Healthcare and Investment. She has completed her B.Com from Delhi University and then pursued postgraduation in M.Com. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in Contact no. 011-43720751