Snakebites: a new antivenom soon on the market

Snakes fascinate, their bites frighten… and can kill. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Netherlands) have filed a patent based on a peptide capable of neutralizing a toxin present in 75% of snake venoms. This discovery could save thousands of lives every year. The results of their experiment were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

A hard product to make and find

In low-income countries, snakebites are a daily reality for millions of people. These potentially fatal bites often occur in areas where access to care is complicated. Between a hospital hundreds of kilometers away, impassable roads, the fact that many people do not own vehicles and that antivenom costs the equivalent of several months’ salary, there is a long way to go to the care necessary for some of the population of the planet. It is for this reason that the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified antivenoms for poisonous snakebites as officially in short supply, when 400,000 people are bitten each year, resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths.

“We have been working on another type of antivenom that is much cheaper than traditional, antibody-based antivenom. If it becomes a future product, it will fit in your pocket and can be used by anyone, anywheresays Brian Lohse, professor of drug pharmacology at the University of Copenhagen and project leader. The idea is that it can be injected using an automatic injection unit, just like those used by diabetics, i.e. directly into the muscle or skin fold at the place of the sting.”

Currently, the only treatment available for snakebites is an antibody-based antivenom, which saves many lives each year. However, antibodies are still produced in living animals, such as horses, and this process can take up to 18 months. The problem is that it takes several hundred poisonous snakes and horses to produce enough antibodies to meet demand in an area, making the process slow and expensive. In addition, it must be taken into account that the product must be administered by a health professional, who is not always available nearby when a person is infected with the venom. Finally, current antivenoms do not have cross-species efficacy, which means, for example, that the product capable of combating the venom of the Indian Cobra will not be able to combat the African Cobra.

Up to $2,000 per dose of antivenom

“Many people die before they reach a place of treatment because snake venom is free to spread through the body for several hours or even days. Add to that the many potential side effects of the treatment and the fact that high-quality products with virtually no side effects can cost up to $2,000 per dose.notes Brian Lohse. This creates a destructive market in poor quality counterfeits sold as cheap antivenom drugs. These poor quality products can cause an allergic shock that can kill the patient.”

It is to fight against this injustice that Brian Lohse created this new treatment, baptized Serpentides, which can be synthesized in one day and which can be produced in a standard laboratory. “We are currently testing the stability of the active substances in our antivenom, and the tests are showing good results. Stability is important if we want people to be able to carry the product in their pocket, but also if we want to avoid the need for cooling.”

With such a technique, this new antivenom could be used immediately and by anyone, without having to possess any qualification. This would allow it to be used directly after the bite. In addition, with its rapid manufacture, the cost of the product will be reduced, which will make it much more accessible. However, this antivenom is not a solution in itself, since it only slows the spread of the poison.

“The sooner you are able to neutralize this poison the better the patient’s chances of survival and minimizing sequelae. Nevertheless, a snakebite is a serious matter, and the patient should always go to the nearest hospital, even after using our future Serpentides antivenom, the main purpose of which is to limit the spread of venom in the muscles. to the veins”, concludes Brian Lohse.