Ghana  to produce snake venom anti-serum; first in West Africa

Ghana has been given the greenlight to produce in bulk anti-snake venom locally for the treatment of snake bites and exportation of the serum, making it the first country to do so in the West African subregion.

This has been made possible following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between a Ghanaian company, Atlantic Lifesciences, and Vins Bioproducts Limited, an Indian company, for the commencement of fill and finish production of the anti-snake venom in Ghana.

The anti-snake venom will have help in the neutralization of the effect of venoms from over 19 different species of snakes.

The serum will also be effective in cases where the venom of the species of snake that has attacked an individual cannot be readily ascertained.

CEO of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Delese Mimi Darko noted that her outfit has approved the production of the anti-snake venom.

“Anti-venoms are critical vaccine commodities which are often out of stock in Ghana and other regions, leading to unavoidable deaths.

“There are several initiatives globally and nationally underway to increase access to anti-venoms, both here and in the rest of the world,” the CEO of FDA stated.

“This MoU will mark the beginning of several such agreements between local manufacturers and giant pharmaceutical industries to help support manufacturers towards self-sustainability and supply in Ghana and to export to many countries. Everything we test in our laboratory is worldwide,” she added.

Reacting to the development, Presidential Advisor on Health, at the Office of the President of Ghana Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare said when ready the sera will be distributed nationwide by AI technology.

“All this will now be distributed through the medical drone system. So we’re not keeping them in some place but we’re keeping them in various places where we can distribute them even at midnight,” he explained.

The first vials of the anti-snake venom which is expected to be ready by December this year will reduce the burden on government to continuously import such products into the country.