Bitten by a Deadly Snake? Here Is Help From Costa Rica

A world’s leading manufacturer of snake antivenoms from Costa Rica has stepped in to help fill in the gaps, supplying the lifesaving serum to victims on four continents.

“We want to expand the knowledge and expertise generated in Costa Rica to contribute to solving this problem in other regions and countries,” says José María Gutiérrez, a former director of the Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP) and a member of the board of directors of the Global Snakebite Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates for greater recognition and understanding of snakebite mortality worldwide, especially in impoverished regions.

Roughly 100,000 people die each year globally from snake bites, mostly in poorer regions of sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia because they do not have access to antivenoms. Since polyvalent antivenoms that protect against multiple species are difficult to produce, ICP is focusing its effort on individual serums. Close to 250,000 people have been treated with the antivenoms produced by the ICP in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa where Doctors Without Borders are using them at their stations. The Institute has recently developed new products for Asia and Sri Lanka. “This is a philosophical issue here,” says Gutiérrez. “Any human being that suffers snakebite envenomation should have the right to receive an antivenom.”