Our facility is in the process of updating our antivenin supplies (which are now expired). What has really surprised me was how much cheaper it is to acquire antivenin overseas for many exotic species (like Bitis, naja, echis, etc.) versus the CroFab manufactured here in the U.S. It seems ironic that I have to pay 20 times as much for CroFab versus the antiserum obtained from South Africa. Is it due to a lack of competition?...red tape?....true costs? It sure would be nice to see CroFab (and I heard that Wyeth polyvalent will be available again) at reasonable prices; particularly for small facilities like our's. Nonetheless, I don't feel that the high costs of antivenin for North American species should deter anyone from having their own supply. We are in the process of seeing if it is feasible to establish an antivenin bank/network in our area...but there will be a lot of hoops to go through. Any thoughts? Rob

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)
847-615-4388 office

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