Serum Institute of India, is developing a new technology for producing anti snake venom without involving horses. The move is in the wake of likely shortage of anti snake venom in the country subsequent to the closure of venom producing units.

King's Institute, Chennai and Haffkine Laborotories, Pune, were forced to suspend their sera extraction activity following the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) raid.

Serum Institute, the only major manufacturer of the anti-snake venom at present, has also decided to discontinue the production as the company felt that there was no point in continuing in such low margin business suffering the undue harassment from the government agencies in the name of CPCSEA.

However, Serum Institute has started developing this new technology at the laboratory level. According to company sources, a new molecular biology concept is being used for the purpose at the company's R&D facility and will be shortly taken to a broadened platform, which will lead to the pilot production. "It is not that easy to develop such an extremely new method to manufacture the anti-venom, which was hitherto extracted from horses worldwide," says the sources.

"It is going to be a biotechnology product by isolating the antigen, which can block the activity of the respective snake poison in the human cells," the sources said. However, the sources declined to give details on the further research findings. "We will be able to bring out the product in two to three years into the market," confirmed the sources.

Since there are unrealistic recommendations and concerned regulations in the animal protection law, the companies feared that it might create unnecessary controversies at a later stage even if the company complies with all the essential conditions. "Although the animal houses and maintenance at these units are perfectly matching with the internationally accepted standards, there could be fresh restrictions from the environment ministry. We don't want to take any more charges and allegations when such operations do not result in any major financial gains," the company sources said while deciding about stopping the production.

However, after analyzing the situation in the country in a recent visit, a WHO official had recommended to WHO that a drastic fall in the snake venom production in the country unless the government resolves the issue cautiously. Following this, the WHO has officially written to the Government of India to ease unnecessary clauses in the Animal Experimentation Law, to ward off the threat of hospitals and primary health centres in the country having serious shortage of anti-snake serum once their current stocks get exhausted.