Scorpion Sting Antidote
FDA Approves First Scorpion Sting Antidote
"Once stung, twice shy" are words to live by in the Southwestern United States, where about 11,000 people a year are stung by scorpions in Arizona alone.
Though rarely life threatening, scorpion stings can be extremely painful, causing numbness and burning at the wound site. And there's been little a victim could do to ease the pain.
Until now.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the first treatment specifically for the sting of the Centruroides scorpion, the most common type in the United States.
The new biologic treatment - called Anascorp - was given a priority review because adequate treatment did not exist in the United States, says Karen Midthun, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
"This product provides a new treatment for children and adults and is designed specifically for scorpion stings," Midthun says. "Scorpion stings can be life-threatening, especially in infants and children."
Severe stings can cause loss of muscle control and difficulty breathing, requiring heavy sedation and intensive care in a hospital.
SOURCE:
FDA.gov. FDA Approves First Scorpion Sting Antidote.
