Snakebite antidote is running out

BillN_33

BillN_33

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"Each year, an estimated five million people worldwide are bitten by snakes, out of whom 100,000 die and 400,000 are permanently disabled or disfigured.

In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 30,000 people die from snakebite every year and an estimated 8,000 undergo amputations"

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34176581
 
Don't get bit.
 
Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur says it has been priced out of the market. How can this be?
 
It does surprise me that this is being allowed to happen ...........
 
This is the same with a lot of "fringe" medicines. Its in the interest of drug companies to sell drugs for regular everyday illnesses to keep their money coming in rather than a cure, Things like snake bites are not cost effective to sell at a price people can afford... so they are expensive. Now, if everyone got bitten they could sell more and the price would drop due to economies of manufacturing.

Just a thought :confused:
 
Better not say anything about drug company super profits then.
 
It always a contradiction because they need profits to invest in research which is mega expensive. Its a conundrum.....
 
Most countries (in western Europe) have 3 or 4 "dangerous" snakes that need an antidote if you are bitten - all French pharmacies have such

two or three such snakes are "local" in SW and S of France - we have them in "our wooded" areas and they do come out particularly when it gets really hot
 
Never think of Western Europe having poisonous snakes but I suppose they make you ill rather than kill you ? Sometime hard to avoid of course but like most wild creatures... leave it alone and it will not attack you..or hopefully not. Don't poke the bear :runaway::nailbiting:

Although running away from a bear won't help you :(
 
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topgazza said:
Never think of Western Europe having poisonous snakes but I suppose they make you ill rather than kill you ? Sometime hard to avoid of course but like most wild creatures... leave it alone and it will not attack you..or hopefully not. Don't poke the bear :runaway::nailbiting:

Although running away from a bear won't help you :(
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It is when you disturb them by accident - they can live in some "inconvenient" places - like the small barn we keep all our wood for the wood burning stoves in!!!
 
topgazza said:
Anti-donkey venom eh ? Those SA donkeys are just vicious ;)
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Although I have never seen a donkey in S Africa ............that's good to know as we will be there in the New Year for a couple of months ......... and we always see the odd "nasty" - reptiles of course!
 
simonblue said:
My legs are a bit disfigured from an spider bite I got many years ago :(
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Was this in the UK? I didn't know any of the native species' venom could cause tissue damage, although I do have a friend in SA who has heavy scarring on her upper thigh from a sac spider (cytotoxic venom) bite.
 
MartynK said:
Was this in the UK? I didn't know any of the native species' venom could cause tissue damage, although I do have a friend in SA who has heavy scarring on her upper thigh from a sac spider (cytotoxic venom) bite.
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No was in Mexico,it was a few years ago now,the main tissue damage is to both my lower legs,the scarring is very noticeable,but over the years i have got used to it :)
 
jondc said:
Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur says it has been priced out of the market. How can this be?
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The market is not EU or USA but poor African countries. The people can hardly afford to pay for the treatment hence this is loss making. 5,000,000 is a small number of doses to sell. Think big blockbuster drugs treating heart disease, diabetes and asthma. There are billions of people buying those drugs every single day... I hope that puts things into perspective.
 
Saw two rattlesnakes in Death Valley, one I didn't see until it started rattling. Back away slowly - it was fine. Didn't fancy trying to get a photo.
In Sri Lanka we encountered large tarantula sized spiders regularly, so it became routing to shake the laundry bag, clothes, shoes etc.
 
Byker28i said:
Sounds scarey
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It was after about a couple weeks,i was able to make my way to Mexico City,and get BA to get me on an flight home within a couple of days,but when i got home the hospital didn't no how to treat it,after years trying everything left with quite a lot of tissues damage
 
My wife got an infection in her foot in Barbados, which ended up with a worm tracking aroound her foot. We were lucky a specialist at our hospital had tropical worm diseases as his hobby, and was a world recognised expert. He'd read but never seen this before so we were rushed into treatment, photos taken, my wifes foot was a specialist paper in the lancelet.

Surprised you werent referred to the tropical disease specialist hospital in London.
 
Byker28i said:
My wife got an infection in her foot in Barbados, which ended up with a worm tracking aroound her foot. We were lucky a specialist at our hospital had tropical worm diseases as his hobby, and was a world recognised expert. He'd read but never seen this before so we were rushed into treatment, photos taken, my wifes foot was a specialist paper in the lancelet.

Surprised you werent referred to the tropical disease specialist hospital in London.
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They sent a sample from my leg both to London & Liverpool tropical disease hospital,the problem was i wasn't around long enough for them to sought out who was going to fund the treatment my local NHS wasn't keen on funding it.
And i was away from 3 to 6mths each year,and a couple of times i got an tropical infection in the wound which didn't help,i think they just gave up on me
 
simonblue said:
No was in Mexico,it was a few years ago now,the main tissue damage is to both my lower legs,the scarring is very noticeable,but over the years i have got used to it :)
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Bad luck, man. I know Mexico has some dangerous spiders, but I'm not familiar with them, apart from the black widows and 'tarantulas'.
 
jondc said:
Manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur says it has been priced out of the market. How can this be?
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Shreds said "Better not say anything about drug company super profits then."

Yip - lots of drugs have become unavailable for use they are now too expensive.
 
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