Rabies, a killer disease of all warm blooded animal including human being, is an endemic disease of Nepal. Several outbreaks of disease have been reported from various parts of the country all-round the year. More than 90% of the outbreaks have been reported due to bite of the rabid dogs. According to health authority 30,000 people receive post-exposure anti-rabies vaccine annually. The death of 100 people and 300 animals has been reported annually due to rabies in Nepal.

The production of anti-rabies vaccine was started in this country in 1970. These vaccines were phenolised 5% and 20% sheep brain (nerve tissue origin) vaccine. Until 1987, these vaccines were used only in animals for pre and post exposure treatments. In 1984, 5% BPL inactivated anti-rabies vaccine was produced in this laboratory and from 1987 this was used in the post exposure treatment of rabies in human with the approval from WHO. This vaccine was used in human from 1987 to 2006.

The use of nerve tissue origin vaccine is now discouraged by WHO as it is poor antigenic in nature, requires large dose, and sometimes cause neuro-paralytic reactions in individuals who are sensitive to special proteins. Therefore, keeping in view of these facts, the laboratory has modernized its facility and the technology has been changed from nerve tissue to cell culture. Production of sheep brain vaccine phased out completely in 2006 A.D. Since then the laboratory has been producing anti-rabies vaccine only by cell culture technology.

The laboratory has now made a remarkable progress in the establishment of cell culture, maintenance of cell lines and adaptation of the rabies seed virus in the various cell lines. Development of Tissue Culture Anti-Rabies Vaccine (CCOARV) was carried out from 2001 to 2006 A.D. First batch of CCOARV for animal use was produced in July 2002. The commercial batch of NeJa Rab (trade name of the vaccine) for animal use was released in market in 27^th June, 2006. First trial batch of CCOARV for human use was produced in March 2006 and production of this vaccine is still in progress.