Charity group Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has expressed serious concern over the possible critical shortage of anti-venom serums by June next year as Sanofi has already stopped production of its product about 5 years ago.
In a statement the organization released on Monday, September 7, they shared that while they still have the Sanofi anti-venom Fav-Afrique, which is available for about $250 and is usually provided by aid groups to poorer communities, it is expected to expire by June 2016. By then, they may not be able to acquire another anti-venom within the next 2 years.
This then becomes a crisis as snake bites are still very common especially in developing countries. At least 100,000 people die each year due to the effects of the snake bites of poisonous species. Depending on the quality of the venom, a person may develop severe allergic reactions including difficulty in breathing in a matter of minutes. Sometimes the venom can lead to permanent disabilities and amputation of the limbs as a way of stopping the venom from further attacking the body.
According to Sanofi, which has already shifted its attention to anti-rabies treatment, they have decided to stop the drug's production due to intense competition in the market. They claimed that newer and much cheaper drugs are forcing them out. While this is true, the Doctors without Borders mentioned that the more affordable drugs aren't as effective as that of Sanofi. The spokesman Alain Bernal also found it "strange" that it took "relevant stakeholders" that long to realize the issue. Nevertheless, he mentioned that the company is currently offering its technology to interested parties.
Doctors without Borders also called on other international organizations such as World Health Organization to ensure snakebite treatments are accessible when they become necessary. So far, most of the donors the agency approached were not interested, said Gregory Hartl, spokesman.
Although significant improvements have occurred over the years, the process of producing anti-venom still remains painstaking, time-consuming, and resource intensive. An anti-venom is designed for a specific type of snake species. Sanofi's Fav-Afrique is usedful for more than 8 various kinds of snake bites, making it a truly important drug especially in countries like Africa.
