World supply of antivenom is running out and the last batch is set to expire in June next year, putting the lives of those at risk of snakebites in potential danger, according to Doctors Without Borders.
The charity group, also known by their French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said that the world is running out of the most powerful antivenin, Fav-Afrique, and those in developing countries face the highest risk, Associated Press reported.
The group said that Sanofi Pasteur, maker of the antivenin, has stopped manufacturing the product, which is considered as the only treatment with established safety and efficacy against the treatment of snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa. Worse, the next batch of antivenom won't be available until 2018.
According to a spokesman from Sanofi, the company halted production of Fav-Afrique because of stiff competition when companies who formulate cheaper versions joined the market. Cheaper alternatives usually don't have that much potency as Fav-Afrique.
"It's very strange that the relevant stakeholders are only realizing this problem five years later," Sanofi spokesman Alain Bernal, said according to Associated Press. However, Bernal added that Sanofi has already offered to share the technology to other drugmakers.
Anti-venom usually costs about $250 to $500 when it's available. In developing nations, the drugs are sponsored by medical charity organizations and donors.
Venom poisoning from snakebites are considered an important public health concern that is somehow not given enough recognition. It usually occurs in subtropical countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
According to the World Health Organization, the highest cases of snakebites are recorded in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Roughly five million people are envenomed from snakebites every year; 100,000 people could die from it and 400,000 could suffer permanent disability, MSF said.
The charity group is now urging Sanofi and WHO to take some actions to lessen the risks that may come with antivenom supply running out.
