In a major step towards self-reliance in public health, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has successfully developed Pakistan’s first lab-scale, locally formulated human anti-rabies vaccine. This breakthrough could reduce the country’s heavy reliance on costly imported vaccines.
Each year, Pakistan records thousands of deaths from rabies, with official estimates ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 fatalities, mostly due to dog bites. The country currently imports all its vaccines — including rabies vaccines — at a cost of Rs26 billion annually. That figure is expected to rise to Rs100 billion by 2031 when international donors like GAVI phase out support.
DUHS had previously launched ‘Dow Rab’, a vaccine made from imported Chinese material. Now, scientists at the university have developed an indigenous biological molecule to produce a fully local version of the vaccine. According to DUHS, the inactivated, lyophilised vaccine has been created using a rabies virus strain isolated in Pakistan.
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The project received backing from the World Bank and was executed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The next step is to prepare clinical trial batches for approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
Health experts have warned that Pakistan lacks basic infrastructure for vaccine development and trial, and produces no antigens for routine immunisation. This achievement, however, offers hope for future domestic vaccine production and reduced financial burden on the national health system.