DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) cautioned the public against counterfeit anti-rabies vaccines as rabies cases is rising in Davao region.
During Monday’s Kapehan sa SM press conference, Dr. Francis Jay T. Lagudas from the Department of Family and Community Medicine at SPMC informed the media that counterfeit vaccines could pose significant health risks.
“Last year, counterfeit vaccines were apprehended from the head of the Animal Bites Treatment Center. This case is currently under investigation by SPMC,” Dr. Lagudas stated.
A vial of anti-rabies vaccine typically costs ₱2,000 to ₱3,000, while counterfeit versions are priced at around ₱1,500. However, Dr. Lagudas clarified that counterfeit vaccines may not effectively treat rabies and could possibly only contain water solutions.
“Our tendency as Filipinos is to go for the cheaper option, but we can’t be sure if these are genuine or fake vaccines,” Dr. Lagudas added.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an advisory on March 3 warning the public from purchasing the counterfeit version of the Purified Rabies Vaccine (Vero Cell) developed by the company Speeda.
Their advisory contains a comparison of the authentic and counterfeit Speeda product. “The print appearance that is not comparable with the standard features of the registered product,” the advisory said.
The FDA warned healthcare professionals and the public of the risks of counterfeit vaccines which “pose potential danger or injury to consumers”.
Lagudas urged the public to purchase anti-rabies vaccines only from Department of Health (DOH)-accredited vaccine centers.
Rabies cases are being monitored by the city’s Animal Bite Treatment Center, which has recorded 48,483 patients in 2024, an average of 100 new cases a day. Around 30,000 of the patients treated were aged 13 and older. There were three rabies-related deaths reported last year and the victims are all male adults.
ABTC’s district physician Dr. Yleona Ysabel in a separate interview last month said their center has only received an allocation of 4,000 anti-rabies vaccines enough to treat approximately 1,000 patients as each patient needs follow up injections.
Davao Region, which includes five provinces, has received 7,000 vials for this year worth ₱8 million. This supply is still insufficient as animal bite cases in Davao Region reached 120,000 in 2024.
Since the vaccines are free, stocks are often depleted by mid-year due to the increased number of animal bites during the summer months.
Lagudas noted the rising trend in rabies cases at SPMC, and advised the public to vaccinate their pets as a key step to eradicate rabies in the city.
He also discouraged the public from resorting to traditional rabies treatments such as tandok. (davaotoday.com)
davao region, rabies
