New Antidote for Scorpion Venom

Today's good medical news:

Mexican scientists are bringing to the United States the result of years of experience battling the sometimes-deadly effects of their stings with a newly approved anti-venom. The product, sold in the United States under the name Anascorp, was developed by scientists at Mexico's National Autonomous University and the private Instituto Bioclon. It was tested at U.S. emergency rooms on more than 500 victims of painful scorpion stings before gaining U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on Wednesday.

The FDA said Anascorp is made from the plasma of horses immunized with scorpion venom and its developers say the antidote is the first Mexican drug to win approval from U.S. health authorities. Researchers have high hopes that it can save lives in southwestern U.S. states where stings are common.

Scorpions prick an estimated 10,000 Americans each year, mostly in Arizona, and more than 250,000 Mexicans, the serum's developers said. Injections of Anascorp counteract the stings within two hours by neutralizing the scorpion's poison.