A Rapid and Substantial Increase in Supplies of an Effective, Safe and Affordable Antivenom to sub-Saharan Africa

A factory in the UK will start producing a new version of an antivenom that was previously taken off the market, aiming to get it to African hospitals within a few years. This matters because snakebites kill tens of thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa each year, and the most effective antivenom for the region, Fav-Afrique, stopped being made. The manufacturer, MicroPharm, is working with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to restart production using plasma from horses immunised against the four most dangerous snake groups: saw-scaled vipers, puff adders, cobras, and mambas. The project modernises the manufacturing process to make more antivenom at a lower cost. If the project succeeds, hospitals across sub-Saharan Africa will have a reliable supply of a safe, effective treatment for the snakes that cause the most deaths and disabilities. This is not fundamental science—it is a direct response to the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing snakebite mortality and morbidity. The impact will be felt in emergency rooms and rural clinics, where a shortage of the right antivenom currently means patients either go untreated or receive ineffective substitutes.