UH-OH

Snakebite Antivenom is Running Out

New stocks to expire by next year.

Officials warned Monday that the world is running out one of the most effective snakebite antivenoms. Stocks of Fav-Afrique, which can treat 10 different snakebites that can occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, are dangerously low and will run out by next year, according to Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Alternate treatments are available but aren’t as effective, the group said. Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur said the antivenom has been priced out of the market, but it plans to share the serum’s recipe with other companies. MSF warned that a replacement product could not be expected to be on the market for an additional two years, which could put tens of thousands of lives at risk. An estimated five million people around the world are bitten by snakes each year, the World Health Organization said.