Snakebite pill tested in 2 Kolkata hospitals' shows early promise
Times of India | 6 November 2024
KOLKATA: A first-response pill for snakebite that is being tested in two state govt-run hospitals in Kolkata - as part of a global trial - has thrown up promising results, and could extend the 'golden hour' for treatment to five hours, potentially saving thousands of lives each year across the country.
The 'golden hour', in emergency medicine, is defined as the time immediately after a traumatic injury, during which there is the highest likelihood of medical and surgical treatment to prevent death.
Currently, snakebite victims must be administered antivenom within four hours. This time becomes even shorter for those bitten by highly venomous snakes: just one hour.
Every year, according to govt data, around 150 to 200 people die in Bengal of snakebite. A large percentage of these deaths is due to delays in administering the first antivenom injection, which is available only in hospitals with refrigeration facilities.
The two Kolkata hospitals that are part of the global trial of a toxin inhibitor pill - along with US hospitals - are Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMC), where the trial was held between 2022 and last year; and NRS Medical College and Hospital, where the trial is currently on.
The main component of the pill is varespladib, a synthetic molecule that extends the golden hour, as mentioned in a recent article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
"When the tablets were administered to patients shortly after they got bitten, there were encouraging results in those whose treatment began within five hours," said Snehendu Konar, clinical trial facilitator of the project in Bengal.
"District hospitals and health centres often lack antivenom for want of proper refrigeration facility and trained medical professionals. But tablets can be administered by anyone. So, we are focusing on the development of a tablet, which could be made available everywhere. If the trials demonstrate the safety of varespladib and the drug reaches the market, it could be a game-changer for snakebite patients, especially those commuting to city hospitals."
CNMC trial on 13, all survived
At the CNMC trials that ended last year, the tablet was tested on 13 snakebite patients, all of whom survived.
P P Mukherjee, principal investigator of the trial at CNMC, told TOI that the main problem in Bengal - and other parts of India - is the transportation of snakebite patients to hospitals. "A lot of time is wasted in transit," he said, adding, "In many cases, it is found that by the time the victims are brought to us, a vital time for medical intervention is lost. During the trial, we administered the oral tablet first and then the anti-venom injection, and all of them survived."
At NRS, where the trial has been on since last March, the team is also testing the efficacy of an injection, along with the pill.
Badal Kumar Sahu, principal investigator of the trial at the hospital, said: "We are examining the efficacy, safety and tolerability of adding varespladib methyl to the standard care regimen, including anti-venom for patients with snakebite envenomation. If successful, it can increase the survival rates of patients bitten by venomous snakes in the state." So far, the trial has been conducted on 19 patients at this hospital.
Across India, the pill has been tested on 72 patients so far.