New Delhi: In a move aimed at strengthening quality control and streamlining regulatory oversight of veterinary vaccines in India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has notified an amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945, designating the Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Animal Health (CCSNIAH), Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, as the designated laboratory for testing specified veterinary vaccines and assigning related regulatory functions to the Director of the institute.

The amendment has been notified through the Drugs (Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2026, vide Gazette Notification G.S.R. 496(E) dated June 18, 2026. The rules come into force immediately from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

As per the notification, Rule 3A(9) of the Drugs Rules, 1945, has been substituted to specify that the functions of the laboratory concerning the testing of 42 veterinary vaccines, including both viral and bacterial vaccines, shall be carried out at the Chaudhary Charan Singh National Institute of Animal Health, Baghpat.

The list of vaccines covered under the amendment includes widely used veterinary biological products such as Avian Infectious Bronchitis Vaccines, Canine Distemper Vaccine, Canine Parvovirus Vaccines, Classical Swine Fever Vaccine, Marek's Disease Vaccine, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Vaccine, Ranikhet Disease Vaccines, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia Vaccines, Enterotoxaemia Vaccine, Fowl Pox Vaccine, Duck Plague Vaccine, Blackquarter Vaccine, Brucella Abortus Vaccine, Theileriosis Vaccine, and several other bacterial and viral vaccines used in veterinary practice.

According to the Ministry, the amendment follows the publication of draft rules vide G.S.R. 65(E) dated January 28, 2026, inviting objections and suggestions from stakeholders.

Source: Medical Dialogues - June 22,2026