Man’s 200 Snake Bites Yield Potential Universal Antivenom
Antibodies discovered in the blood of Tim Friede, a man who self-injected snake venom for 18 years, have yielded an unprecedented antivenom. This antivenom, effective against a broad range of elapid snakes in animal testing, targets common neurotoxin components rather than species-specific ones. Current antivenoms require a precise match to the biting snake, unlike this potential universal treatment. This breakthrough offers significant hope for addressing the annual death toll of up to 140,000 from snakebites.
John Q. Hosedrinker