In 1977, the institute was converted into an autonomous body under the Union Health Ministry. It is managed by a governing body headed by the Union Health Secretary ex-officio.

The institute expanded its activities from running a hospital to carrying out research work in preventive medicine and manufacturing vaccines. Its products include DTP vaccines (DPT, or diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus; DT, or diphtheria-tetanus toxoid; and TT, or tetanus toxoid), vero-cell-derived rabies vaccine for human use, and tissue culture anti-rabies vaccine for animals.

The institute is involved in R&D activities such as developing cost-effective tissue culture rabies vaccine and tissue culture-based, cost-effective JE (Japanese encephalitis) vaccine, conducting training programmes, providing consultancy services to scientists within the country and abroad and offering training in vaccine manufacture/biotechnology. Among the facilities in the institute are the Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory, the Dog/Animal Bite Treatment Centre (24-hour service for emergency cases) and the National Polio Laboratory.

The institute has several achievements to its credit. These include the introduction of BPL (beta-propio-lactone) inactivated brain tissue rabies vaccine for the first time in the country in 1970 and the production and release of over one million doses of totally indigenous oral polio vaccine. The institute made substantial contribution to the government’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) by supplying cost-effective vaccines. Its vaccines covered the entire needs of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In respect of DPT, the institute covered up to 60 per cent of the needs of the entire country.