EXPRESS HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT (Bombay, India) 15 January 05 Toxicology studies of new antivenom completed (R Baby Manoj)
Bangalore: A new antivenom called ‘Immuno globulin-Y’ for snake bites developed from yolk protein of chicken egg by the city-based Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation (VMSRF) has completed the final phase of toxicological studies, it is learnt. The product is all set to enter clinical trials soon.
If the clinical trials are successfully completed, it would be a major breakthrough that could turn out to be a boon to vast rural populace of tropical countries like India on account of its affordability, it is expected. In Asia alone, snake bites lead to thousands of deaths annually, a vast number of them being in India. This is mainly due to dearth of antivenoms, its cost and some times lack of efficacy of the administered antivenom.
The only antivenom currently available in the world for all kinds of poisonous snake bites is “IG-G” (Immuno Globulin-G), which has certain serious disadvantages like slowness in acting, and side effects affecting organs, mainly kidney, sources say. VMSRF uses chicken egg yolk as the source of antivenom protein. The scientists inject sub-lethal dozes of each toxin of the venom into the body of 7-8 week old chicken. When the chicken reach 12 weeks, eggs are collected and then proteins separated from the egg yolk and purified. If the new protein which has successfully undergone toxicological studies, would pass clinical trials, the amount of antibody thus obtained from a few eggs would be sufficient to neutralise one snake bite.
It is learnt that both acute and chronic toxicology studies have been done at the International Centre for Biotechnology and Toxicology at Chennai, on rabbits, mice, rats and guinea pigs in its Taddapei facility. The scientists in VMSRF are working on stabilisers acceptable by the pharmacopoeia in order to add to the stability and purity of the new antivenom, so that it can be developed as injectibles with an increased shelf-life. Once, the clinical trials are over, the product would be available in the form of powder as well as solution.
A Bangalore-based company has expressed interest in marketing the product once it is proven successful, sources said. However, this would be decided after consulting the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, which is funding the research. DBT provides monetary support to the antivenom research to the tune of rupees forty lakh, it is learnt. Now there is a big dearth of the anti-venom in the market. Once the new antivenom comes out after clinical trials, it would meet up this short fall. The greatest advantage would be its low cost. However, successful marketing of the new anti-venom would take many years, it is expected.
In India, most of the deaths due to venom generally occurs from the bites of four category of snakes, namely, Cobra, Krait, Saw Scale viper and Russel’s Viper. The toxins in each of their venom are different from one another in nature. Hence, if an antidote is made for one toxin that may not be useful against the other.
Normally, a person who had been bitten by a snake might not know what kind of snake was it, hence identifying the correct antidote becomes a problem, sources say. Hence in order to overcome this uncertainty of identity of the particular toxin in the venom, the anti-venom had to be applicable to all the four venoms simultaneously, which affects its efficacy and makes it dangerous to certain extent.
Anti-venom currently in use is obtained from the antibodies developed from horse’s blood by injecting a sub-lethal doze of the mix of the venoms of all the four categories of snakes, it is learnt.
Since the antivenom is being given in the drip-form so as to neutralise the venom, the reaction is slow. The antivenom may have serious reactions as a result of which vital organs like kidney may be affected, for a number of unwanted proteins are going into the blood stream. The challenge is to have a specific antidote for a specific toxin, avoiding unwanted proteins getting into the blood stream thereby minimising the side-effects. VMSRF, is a Bangalore-based non-profit organisation exclusively dedicated to scientific research, promoted by noted industrialist U B Mallya, in memory of his father late Vittal Mallya, the founder of UB group.
Toxicology studies of new antivenom completed