Snakebites About To Get Deadlier
The coral snake is found throughout Florida, parts of Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona, but only about 100 people get bitten every year. Unfortunately, after October 31st of this year, writes Glenn Derene in Popular Mechanics, there may be no antivenom (antivenin) left:
That's the expiration date on existing vials of Micrurus fulvius, the only antivenom approved by the Food and Drug Administration for coral snake bites. Produced by Wyeth, now owned by Pfizer, the antivenom was approved for sale in 1967, in a time of less stringent regulation.Wyeth kept up production of coral snake antivenom for almost 40 years. But given the rarity of coral snake bites, it was hardly a profit center, and the company shut down the factory that made the antivenom in 2003. Wyeth worked with the FDA to produce a five-year supply of the medicine to provide a stopgap while other options were pursued. After that period, the FDA extended the expiration date on existing stock from 2008 to 2009, and then again from 2009 to 2010. But as of press time, no new manufacturer has stepped forward.
..."It's ridiculous that we're losing a technology that we already have," says Joe Pittman, a snakebite treatment specialist at the Florida Poison Information Center in Tampa. "It's even more ludicrous that we have a product that's available, and we have to jump through so many hoops to get it approved." -- on a Mexican antivenin that's likely more effective than the current one, yet not approved for sale by the FDA due to lack of testing--which no one will pay for.
"Nobody in this situation is being a bad actor," says Eric Lavonas of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. "We just don't have a system set up to deal with it." With no adequate replacement for coral snake antivenom, hospitals are likely to appeal to local zoos, many of which maintain small stocks for their staff. But zoos are under no obligation to provide the medicine.
If and when shortages do occur, many hospitals will have no other option but to intubate coral snake bite victims on ventilators for weeks until the effects of the toxin wear off -- potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per bite. "It's probably going to end up costing us far more not to deal with this than to deal with it," Lavonas says, "both in human suffering, and in dollars and cents."
Via NumberSix
I've been intubated for a few days and it was horrible.
My mother was intubated for a week or longer and she wanted to die and never under go that again.
jerry at July 12, 2010 12:21 AM
I read this in the statesman last week. I"m worried. We found 2 coral snakes in our yard at our old house here in the austin area. Now, you pretty much have to try to get bit by one, but they're pretty, and I have a toddler. What's the first thing a toddler's going to do to a pretty colored snake? Pick it up. Even picking them up doesn't guarantee you a bite, but still. I'm worried.
momof4 at July 12, 2010 4:57 AM
I was reading an article that said snake venom is becoming more potent as many rodents are evolving an imunity to the current level of venom
lujlp at July 12, 2010 6:39 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/07/12/snakebites_abou.html#comment-1731855">comment from lujlpShe's tweaked because he's a researcher who's showing himself to be human in a blog post, and not pretending that something that came out of a woman's body isn't gross. (Maybe she's also tweaked that he gets to blog for "Scientific A-Fucking-Merican," which I think I'll call it from now on.)
Amy Alkon at July 12, 2010 6:46 AM
Whatever... We're outta money.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at July 12, 2010 7:00 AM
Prof. Walter Williams, the economist, says that The Smuggler is the hero of the common people, who circumvents a tyranical government. I'd be glad to smuggle mexican anti-venom into this country to thwart the beaucratic empire of the FDA. I'll also have some freon, incandescent light bulbs, five gallon per minute shower heads and transfat Doritoes for you New York City folks.
vermindust at July 12, 2010 7:16 AM
Vermin, can you grab a few toilets while you're at it?
Cousin Dave at July 12, 2010 9:13 AM
Nobody in this situation is being a bad actor
Except the FDA. Let them pay for the testing. That's why they exist. Usually, they can squeeze the companies. Since there is no company to squeeze in this case, let the FDA pay or get out of the way.
kishke at July 12, 2010 2:49 PM
Can't the FDA just issue a waiver for these extraordinary circumstances?
And while we're at it, does anybody know of a salt smuggler who can get me through all those bland, 0b0z0-approved dinners of the future?
mpetrie98 at July 12, 2010 6:08 PM
Wait what are you all bitching about. This is capitalism in it's purest form. No one makes enough money to make a product profitable so we don't make it. As far as foreign imports, unless you tests there is not way to show that it works. One can then sell Mexican sewer water as antivenin, no regulation no accountability. So are we suggesting that the FDA (tax payer money) should pay for the testing or to deregulate the import of foreign pharmaceuticals (china as well)? Smugglers are great for the common man but only if the are honest smugglers, incandescent bulbs and high flow toilets are one thing injectable pharmaceuticals are another. Even an honest smuggler can goof and let the compounds get too hot, cold, irradiated, contaminated etc.
vlad at July 13, 2010 12:11 PM
This is capitalism in it's purest form.
Not once the FDA is involved. Capitalism in its purest form would involve no regulation whatsoever.
kishke at July 14, 2010 6:09 AM
But vlad, what makes the product unprofitable is the cost of compliance. It's the percentage that the government takes off the top. Eliminate the cost of compliance, and likely you have a product that can be sold at a profit.
Now there is the fitness-for-purpose issue that you always have with pharmaceuticals, and yes, this does require some independent body looking over it. However, with the case of this antivenom, it's a mature product, and we have (or had) well-established production facilities. It should not have required much regulatory effort to keep an eye on it. But hey, government is government; no allowances made for common sense. Snake antivenom, which has been in use for over a century, gets the exact same regulatory treatment as the most cutting-edge experimental drug. If the FDA regulated aspirin, it'd cost $75 a bottle.
Cousin Dave at July 14, 2010 10:44 AM
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