Thousands of lives at risk as snakebite antidote supplies run low

An effective antidote for snakebites is running out, putting tens of thousands of lives on the line, a charity has warned. Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said that stocks of treatment Fav-Afrique, capable of neutralising ten different snakebites in Sub-Saharan Africa, will run out in June 2016. With no suitable replacement forthcoming, there are fears that thousands of people could die. About five million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year – of that number, 100,000 die and 400,000 are permanently disabled or disfigured.

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.

Polly Markandya of MSF, tells the BBC

In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 30,000 deaths from snakebite each year, while about 8,000 people are forced to have an amputation. MSF said Fav-Afrique, made by vaccine provider Sanofi Pasteur, is the only anti-venom that can treat bites from various snakes in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the manufacturer says it is being priced out of the market by companies from Brazil, India and Mexico. It stopped making its serum last year to concentrate on a rabies treatment and is believed to be in negotiations to find another company to manufacture Fav-Afrique.

Africa snake