A$1.4 million given to pursue snake-bites study

UNIVERSITY of Melbourne researchers have been awarded more than A$1.4 million by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council to conduct the first-ever randomised clinical trial of an Australian snake anti-venom.
The study, to be conducted in partnership with the University of Papua New Guinea, will compare the current CSL taipan anti-venom with a new product made in Costa Rica at the Port Moresby General Hospital.
While similar numbers of snakebites occur in both Australia and PNG, death following snake bites in Australia is rare. In PNG however, up to 200 people die from snakebites every year, partly because there was not enough supply of the anti-venom.