Meet Abu Dhabi Company Breeding Vipers and Scorpions to Save Lives

One Abu Dhabi The company is helping address a global shortage of antivenom used to treat snake and scorpion bites.

Thousands of people die every year due to lack of antivenom made from high-quality venom and pure toxins from snakes, scorpions and spiders.

hide inside AlvasbaVenom company Amsaal, more than 45 kilometers from Abu Dhabi, is breeding thousands of venomous reptiles from the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia and exporting them around the world to produce antivenoms.

“Our mission is to save lives,” Amsaal COO Mohamed Bashta told Nationwide.

“Poisoning snake bite Scorpion stings can be treated if we have the right antivenom. But the problem is that there is a severe shortage of Venom. “

The company currently has a collection of 2,000 snakes from 25 different species and 45 highly venomous species, he said. Scorpion Mainly from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

“These species are kept in cages with a natural environment. We extract venom from them according to World Health Organization standards,” Mr Basta said.

“Currently, we are exporting venom to countries in the Middle East and Africa and helping with drug research in the UAE.

“The next step is to establish an antivenom production unit in Abu Dhabi to become a major producer and exporter of antivenom medicines.”

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Toxic creatures in UAE: in pictures

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Lack of Middle East data

According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 5.4 million snakebites worldwide each year, of which approximately 2.7 million result in poisoning. They kill around 100,000 people and triple the number of amputations and other permanent disabilities.

In 2017, WHO Designated snakebite poisoning as a neglected tropical disease and launched a global initiative to halve snakebite deaths and disability by 2030.

Although most venomous snakebites occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, experts say there is no official data from the Middle East to understand the extent of the problem in the region.

“This is a problem,” Dr Tarek El-Aziz, Amsaal’s scientific director, told Nationwide.

In the Middle East, it is estimated that at least 10,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes and scorpions each year, he said.

According to a 2020 WHO study, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen reported the highest number of snakebite cases.

There are 19 species of terrestrial venomous snakes in the Middle East.

“In the UAE, most cases of poisoning are attributed to scorpion stings, as many different species can be seen in deserts and mountains,” Mr El-Aziz said.

“There are only three or four types of highly venomous snakes.”

United Arab Emirates There are 13 native snake species But only four venomous snakes are of concern.

violin spider or brown recluse spider (from Side lumbar nematode genus) is the most venomous spider in the Middle East and has been reported several times in the UAE.

For more than a decade, there have been no recorded deaths from snakebites in the UAE, and incidents are rare.

Antivenom shortage

Mr Bashta said there are only two companies in the Middle East that produce antivenoms – the Scientific Research Centre in Syria and the National Antivenin and Vaccine Production Centre (NAVPC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which only produce scorpion antivenom.

“The shortage of high-quality venom is a major issue affecting the supply of anti-venom on the market,” he said.

Extracting the venom is also a time-consuming process, he said.

“To produce one gram of venom, we need 1,500 to 3,000 scorpions.”

One gram of venom yields 20,000 to 50,000 doses of antivenom.

“A gram of scorpion venom can sell for anything between $7,000 and $10,000,” he said.

One of the venom extraction methods used is to expose scorpions to tiny electrical currents that stimulate them to release venom.

“It’s much easier to extract venom from snakes. One gram can be extracted from 20 snakes, so snake venom is cheaper,” Mr Basta said.

“The price depends on how rare and dangerous the species is.”

The extracted venom is kept in a temperature-controlled laboratory to avoid damage.

“We are developing new technologies to extract the venom and collect more samples to support drug research,” Mr Basta said.

“It’s a dangerous business. But it’s also an important life-saving measure. Our goal is to make our environment safer and ensure people around the world have access to affordable antivenom.”

Updated: 10/27/2022 5:45am