The ECHITAB Study Group Nigeria has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to support the local production of anti-snake venom drugs, warning that high production costs are limiting access to life-saving treatment for snakebite victims across the country.
The Managing Director of ECHITAB Study Group Nigeria, Dr. Nandul Durfa, made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Abuja, stressing that government intervention would help make anti-venom drugs more affordable and readily available to Nigerians.
Durfa said ECHITAB, a Nigerian non-governmental organisation, works with foreign professionals in the United Kingdom to produce anti-venom drugs for the treatment of snake bites.
He explained that the organisation was established in 1991 in response to the high incidence of snake bites and the scarcity of effective anti-venom drugs in Nigeria.
“The few anti-venom drugs that were available were not meeting up with the demand,” he said.
According to him, the group produced its first anti-venom drug in powdered form in 1993, following clinical trials conducted at Kano General Hospital, where the drug was found to be effective.
He said the powdered formulation was later converted into a liquid form known as ECHITAB G, which offered improved storage life and a quicker response rate.
Durfa said collaboration with foreign partners had enabled the organisation to develop several anti-venom drugs, which he said had significantly reduced snakebite-related deaths.
He said the drugs had helped reduce the mortality rate from snake bites from between 30 and 60 per cent to about 3.5 per cent.
The ECHITAB boss added that the drugs had recorded positive outcomes among patients across the country and were effective against dangerous snake species, including the Carpet Viper, Cobra and Puff Adder.
He identified the Carpet Viper as one of the most common venomous snakes responsible for bites in Nigeria.
However, Durfa lamented that the high cost of producing anti-venom drugs remained a major challenge to wider availability and affordability.
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“There is need for government to support the production of these anti-venom drugs so as to reduce the cost and make them affordable and readily available to Nigerians,” he appealed.
He urged the Federal Government to prioritise investment and policy support for local anti-venom production, noting that increased domestic capacity could strengthen Nigeria’s response to snakebite emergencies and reduce dependence on imported medicines.
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