Be wary of these two fake anti snake venom drugs, warns poisons board

Puff Udder, one of the outlawed antivenom [Courtesy]

Two anti-snake venom medicine have been blacklisted by the poisons board.

The poisons board has warned against purchase and usage of ‘puff udder’ and ‘Ant venom’ brands of snake bites medicine.

Pharmacy and Poisons Board(PPB) said the two drugs which are circulating the market are falsified brands hence fake.

In a statement, the Board noted that puff udder was established to be fake after the claimed manufacturer Sanog Aventus.

“Information from the drug label which has since been established as falsified indicate that the drug puff udder was manufactured in Sanog Aventus which sites have been found not to exist,” read the statement.

Some 60 doses of puff udder were intercepted in Kajiado on Tuesday by PPB officials ad police officers. One person was arrested.

“The suspect is to be taken to court to answer charges among others of obtaining money by false pretence, possession of unregistered medicine contrary to Pharmacy and Poisons Act and possession of counterfeit medicines contrary to the Anti-Counterfeit Act,” read the statement from PPB.

A bite from puff udder is among the deadliest. Others are green mamba, black mamba and the cobra.

For Ant Venom, the Board found that the drug has no designated manufacturer, dosage and instruction for usage details.

Members of the public, health workers, health facilities including chemists and pharmacies have been advised to be vigilant.

“Members of the public are cautioned from buying or using such fake anti snake venom being peddled by some crooks purporting to be genuine drug,” warned the Board.

In October 2017, Anti venom is one of the anti-snake venom found to be fake by a group of scientists from Kenya Snake Bite Research and Innovation Centre, United Kingdom and Costa Rica.  

The other brand is antivenin.

The two were among six anti snake venom that went through laboratory tests and all found not effective.

At least 15 people die daily from snake bites every day.