List of Antivenins (pdf 250 kb, version of 06.08.2010)
When the new Swiss drug law came into force at the beginning of the year 2002, also the procurement and the marketing of snake antivenins became subject to new regulations. Until today the availability of sera against the bites of exotic snakes was irregular and tortuous, and their procurement was difficult.
At the beginning of the year 2004 the antivenin depots at the hospital pharmacies at Münsterlingen (Institute of Hospital Pharmacy, Kantonsspital Münsterlingen), Geneva (Pharmacies of the Geneva University Hospitals), and Zurich (Cantonal Pharmacy of Zurich) established the Swiss network of antivenin depots "ANTIVENIN-CH" with the aim of making the procurement with snake antivenins more quick, reliable and transparent. This network is organized within the working group „Antidota“ GSASA-STIZ which edits the Swiss antidotes list. Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for therapeutic products, supports this project. Dr. Thomas Junghanss, Section Clinical Tropical Medicine at the Heidelberg University, acts as its expert advisor.
The Swiss Toxicological Information Centre coordinates the activities of the network, but the individual depots work independently. The participating depots publish their stocks on a common LIST, provide antivenins to each other if necessary, and exchange informations and experience on antivenins.
Additional depots may join the network as members, if they acknowledge the agreements of the network, and if they have the authority's permissions.
The network's member depots stock available antivenins according to the snake species which were reported to the cantonal veterinary offices.
Further pages to antidotes:
Antidote Network Antidote News Antidote Monographs MAVIN) of the Toxikologischen Abteilung der II. Medizinischen Klinik der Technischen Universität München.
HKU
09-08-2010