Snake venom resistant serum: Is it ever enough?

Each year, Vietnam can have hundreds of snake bites. However, since each serotype that is resistant to snake venom is only effective for a certain poisonous snake, many cases are bitten by snakes but there is no specific serum for treatment.

One of the first Vietnamese people to study snake venom resistance serum (HTKNR) is Dr. Trinh Xuan Kiem. According to him, from 1991 to 2007, he successfully studied three types of HTKNR tiger earth, indigo, tiger tiger.

Many studies are being done in laboratories to make these
New type of snake venom resistant serum. Photo taken at a pharmaceutical research company
in HCM City Hi-Tech Park.Photo: Thai Ngoc)

From before 1894, the French scientist - TS. Albert Calmette (1863 - 1933) studied about the cooperative system at the Pasteur Institute in Saigon. By 1894, he was the first to invent the HTKNR in the world. But it was not until after 1990 that Vietnam had some types of cooperation and production system manufactured in Vietnam.

However, despite the successful research, the HTKR has not yet been tested clinically. Dr. Le Van Be, Director of the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Bio-Products in Nha Trang also said that the institute used to cooperate with scientists to study successfully the system of internal and external surgery, but had to remove it because not yet tested clinically.

Dr. Be explained, the most difficult problem in studying the research and learning skills is in the stage of clinical testing. Need to test many 'phases' on patients. Each 'phase', requires testing on humans from 50 to 300 patients. Of course it is not possible to have enough snake bites to try. On the other hand, even though the system is allowed to produce, the amount of consumption is not much. Thus, the investment in production of water drainage system will not have economic significance.

A good signal . Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Le Trang, former head of immunization department of Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, who has had many research projects on HTKR said that it is ideal to research a serum Multi-toxins can be treated in all cases of snake bites, although their venom belongs to any species.

If there is a combination of many research, testing and production units, only 2 - 4 years, Vietnam can put the type of multi-toxin injected into treatment.