[lotharcable]

Rabies anti-virus require very carefully handling and refrigeration and thus can be extremely expensive for hospitals to keep in stock.

And, yes, it needs to be applied before symptoms start to appear. Otherwise death is almost for certain.

I doubt this research will lead directly to a better vaccine, but having a better vaccine could save a lot of lives.

[Fomite]

There's a lot of work right now in figuring out ways to reduce the cold chain requirements and make it easier to stock.