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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 08 Sep 2015 : 10:02:32
Snakebite antidote is running out
Source: BBC Online
The world is running out of one of the most effective snakebite treatments, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk, warn experts.
Medicins Sans Frontieres says new stocks of Fav-Afrique, which neutralises 10 different snakebites that can occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, are desperately needed.
The last batch will expire in June 2016 and there is no comparable replacement.
Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur says it has been priced out of the market.
Alternatives are available but MSF says they are not as good.
Fav-Afrique is the only anti-venom that has been proven safe and effective to treat envenoming from different types of snakes across Sub-Saharan Africa, it says.
Image copyrightGerald & Buff Corsi/Visuals Unlimited, Inc.
Sanofi said it will share the anti-venom recipe with others.
The company stopped producing the serum last year and has since switched to making a rabies treatment instead.
Sanofi is believed to be negotiating for another company to produce Fav-Afrique, but these talks are not expected to be finalised before late 2016. This means that a replacement product could not be expected to reach the market for another two years, says MSF.
The absence of a broad, safe and effective anti-venom until then will translate into countless deaths, it says.
Lives at risk
Polly Markandya of MSF said: "Most people who get bitten by a snake aren't exactly sure what kind of snake it is that bit them and so having an anti-venom that works against a variety of different species is really important.
"We are worried that without that anti-venom available, people will die unnecessarily."
Alain Bernal, a Sanofi Pasteur spokesman, said the company had offered to transfer the anti-venom technology to others, adding: "Nothing has materialised yet."
The World Health Organization says snakebites are a neglected issue that needs more attention and investment.
Each year, an estimated five million people worldwide are bitten by snakes, out of whom 100,000 die and 400,000 are permanently disabled or disfigured.
In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 30,000 people die from snakebite every year and an estimated 8,000 undergo amputations.
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Momodou |
Posted - 18 Sep 2015 : 17:25:52
The amazing science behind fatal snake bites
BBC Online 13 September 2015
Snake venom is deadly, with as many as 100,000 people worldwide dying each year from snake bites.
The World Health Organization has added 'snakebite' to its list of neglected tropical diseases, but what is the real scale of the problem it faces against such a vicious venom?
Read more
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| sab |
Posted - 17 Sep 2015 : 22:11:54
Rassimian, thank u for the read. |
| rassimian |
Posted - 09 Sep 2015 : 13:22:28
Momodou and Sab. You show surprise that the antidote is running out but the answer lies in the information that Momodou has provided. In one sense it is not 'running out' yet as there is enough vaccine until June 2016 but this is like a 'use by date' and after that time there will be a major problem if no other pharma company produces it. look at what Sanofi Pasteur themselves are saying :"they have been priced out of the market". What this really means is that they are not making enough money (profit) from producing this vaccine. Pharmaceuticals is BIG BUSINESS and none of these companies produce drugs/vacines out of the goodness of their hearts. They are all out to make MONEY. Its called CAPITALISM. This is why no one else appears to want to manufacture the vaccine despite Sanofi offering to share the anti venom recipe with others. If they have taken on anti rabies vaccine production then there must be more money to be made from that. Sab I have no problem believing these figures. MSF is a well known and reliable source of information although even they have to rely on the data they receive so the numbers are probably an underestimation. What is needed is to know exactly how many individual doses of the anti venom are in stock and then we can try to judge when the vaccine will run out. Anyhow the news is not good. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 08 Sep 2015 : 15:05:22
Sab, I wonder too. |
| sab |
Posted - 08 Sep 2015 : 14:53:56
You wonder why in this 21st century the antidote can be running out!
I am very surprised by the figures quoted:
Each year, an estimated five million people worldwide are bitten by snakes, out of whom 100,000 die and 400,000 are permanently disabled or disfigured.
In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 30,000 people die from snakebite every year and an estimated 8,000 undergo amputations.
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