Manufacturing of Snakebite Serum

                 The Red Cross Snake Farm produces various types of serum for snakebite victims, and has so far succeeded in producing 6 types to treat bites from cobras, king cobras, banded kraits, Russell's vipers, Malayan pit vipers, and Trimeresurus spp. All of these drugs are produced in the same way.
1. Antivenin is produced by injecting snake venom into a horse. The weekly dosage is gradually increased until the horse is able to produce its own natural antivenin. To ensure that the product has the required strength, blood is drawn from the horse and tested at intervals.
2. When the antivenin meets the required strength, a considerable quantity of blood is drawn from the horse (without causing any harm to the animal) and preserved in a clean, safe container.
3. The antivenin is purified. By means of sedimentation and sifting, non-antibody-related proteins (which tend to cause allergy when administered to patients) are extracted from the compound that has most direct effect against snake venom.
4. The serum is bottled and dehydrated. This makes it easy to transport and store for long periods. Normally, when stored at a temperature of 4-degree Celsius, the serum has a shelf-life of 5 years.
5. To ensure the serum's effectiveness and safety, a final stage quality control test is conducted on animals under laboratory conditions in compliance with World Health Organization standards.