World running out of one of the most effective treatments for snakebite

The world is running out of one of the most effective treatments for snakebite, warned Médecins Sans Frontières, (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organisation.

Fav-Afrique, which neutralizes the venom from 10 different species of snakes in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been priced out of the market and the remaining stocks are due to expire in June 2016, according to its manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur.

The company stopped producing Fav-Afrique last year and has since switched to making a rabies treatment instead.

Fresh supplies of the treatment are desperately needed, since alternatives are available but MSF said they are not as good.

Fav-Afrique is the only anti-venom that has been proven safe and effective to treat envenoming from different types of snakes across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Polly Markandya, an expert of MSF， said, most people who get bitten by a snake aren't exactly sure what kind of snake it is that bit them, so it's really important to have an anti-venom that works against a variety of different species.

Sanofi said it will share the anti-venom recipe and is negotiating for another company to produce Fav-Afrique. But nothing has materialized yet, said Sanofi spokesman Alain Bernal.

Snakebites are a neglected issue that needs more attention and investment, according to the World Health Organization. Each year, an estimated five million people worldwide are bitten by snakes, out of whom 100,000 die and 400,000 are permanently disabled or disfigured.