Suddenly discovered an existing drug cure snakebites

British scientists have found a drug that could increase the chance of a snakebite's death.

An existing drug can provide a chance for a snakebite to survive. Experiments show that the drug has effects on animals. The active ingredient discovered by the team is called dimercaprol .

Until now, this substance and its other form 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DPMS) were previously used primarily for people with metal poisoning such as arsenic, mercury, or lead.

This new study shows that the two active ingredients also protect people who are poisoned by snakes. This is the research idea of ​​biochemist and molecular biologist Laura Oana-Albulescu of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England. She and her colleagues have long been searching for ingredients that can combine metal ions in the body with snake venom.

Each year, about 138,000 people die worldwide due to snakebites

Dimercaprol and DPMS fight enzymes in snake venom that rely on zinc ions to exert their killing effects. These two drugs work by combining zinc ions. The researchers successfully implemented this experiment and published the research results on May 6, 2020. They have also conducted animal experiments and the results show that DPMS can prevent deaths from venom infection of saw-scaled viper. This is one of the most common venomous snakes, living in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and the number of people killed by this snake is very high. Each year, about 138,000 people worldwide die from a snakebite and 400,000 suffer lifelong sequelae.

Low cost and availability

Most importantly, physicists claim the drug has an oral effect . Until now, dimercaprol has been mainly administered by injection as a peanut oil based oil solution. 

Because it can be made in pill form, it is very handy to make emergency medicine after being bitten by a snake if the patient is not taken to hospital immediately.

Doctors participating in the study believe that DPMS can help patients extend their life from snakebites to medical assistance, especially while waiting for antimicrobial serum to be administered. It is not a cure for an antitoxin serum, but it can save lives, especially in countries where patient transport conditions take a long time until the antidote is given.

Tropical Medicine biology professor at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Nicolas Casewell, who specializes in snakebite research, emphasized that one of the key advantages of DMPS is that it has been approved for use as a drug. He said: 'The advantage of using DMPS is that it has been approved for use as a safe and affordable drug. It can effectively neutralize the venom of the flower serpents through experiments, showing that this is a very potential drug for early intervention, before the patient reaches the hospital after bitten by poisonous snakes. '

The World Health Organization classifies snakebites as a type of health threat that needs to be prioritized for treatment and has set a goal of reducing by half the number of deaths and serious injuries due to snakebites by 2030. This can only be achieved. thanks in part to research on finding new drugs and partly on the construction and upgrading of health facilities capable of caring for patients more timely.