Repurposed drugs could help treat snakebite injuries, shows research

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.8 million to 2.7 million people are envenomed by snakes annually, resulting in upwards of 138,000 deaths.

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, snakebite annually kills between 20,000 and 32,000 people, though a 2022 paper suggests this is likely a gross underestimate.

Africa is home to some of the most amazing and beautiful, but also dangerous, snakes on the planet. Tiny saw-scaled vipers cause potentially lethal bleeding problems. Large-bodied puff adders and spitting cobras have venoms that destroy flesh via necrosis. And the venom of green and black mambas can rapidly cause death by paralysing the victim’s respiratory muscles.

Most research on snakebite treatments has been focused on keeping the patient alive. But snakebite also leaves about 400,000 snakebite survivors permanently scarred or disabled.

The tissue damage caused by necrotic snake venoms results from certain toxins destroying a victim’s skin, muscle, and even bone. These cytotoxins kill cells. The damage can be severe. Often the dead flesh, affected digits or even limbs have to be surgically removed.

One can easily imagine the devastation caused by such injuries to snakebite survivors and their families. But what if this necrosis could be stopped before it began?

Over the past few years, much of our work has been focused on developing new therapies for this local tissue necrosis. One avenue we have been exploring is using repurposed drugs which...

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