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Rolly

Aug 7, 2011, 8:32 AM

Post #1 of 12 (3248 views)

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México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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"Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug made in Mexico for use in the U.S. to treat severe scorpion stings. It's called Anascorp and was developed by a company called Instituto Bioclon."

Read more here.

Rolly Pirate

jrpierce

Aug 7, 2011, 3:35 PM

Post #2 of 12 (3192 views)

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Re: [Rolly] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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Fascinating article on a few fronts, Rolly. 1) I love the idea of the US needing to rely on Mexico for a drug they don't have. 2) The comments posted about the article so reflect the mood that seems typical in the US these days--searching for someone to blame rather than welcoming a solution to a problem. 3) The data on the high incidence of scorpion bites in Central Mexico was eye-opening. As one who lives there, that was news to me.

An article linked off the main piece mentioned that it costs more than $10,000 in the US for a course of treatment with the antivenom for the deadliest type of scorpion. WOW. It makes me wonder what the costs are in Mexico, because if it were anywhere near that a lot of people would die untreated here. I wonder if the USA is applying some sort of duty, or whether the Mexican company has learned from its big pharma cousins in the world, and adopted the sort of pricing we have come to expect from them.

Thanks for the post,

Jim

richmx2

Aug 7, 2011, 9:06 PM

Post #3 of 12 (3154 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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Mexico provides a heck of a lot of drugs needed in the United States. Unfortunately, most are schedule C narcotics.

http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com

tonyburton

Aug 8, 2011, 9:42 AM

Post #4 of 12 (3113 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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By coincidence, the new article today on http://geo-mexico.com/ just happens to be...
The geography of scorpions in Mexico.
Enjoy!

jrpierce

Aug 8, 2011, 11:20 AM

Post #5 of 12 (3091 views)

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Re: [tonyburton] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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Tonyburton:

Hey, Tony.... Sounds like the important thing is to get medical attention ASAP if bitten. Even though we live in a high risk area (Morelia, Michoacán), in four years we've only seen one live scorpion.

Richmx2:

Oh yeah, THOSE drugs. LOL.

Jim

Brian

Aug 8, 2011, 12:23 PM

Post #6 of 12 (3075 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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My wife got stung when we lived in SMA. The attending physician said that, while painful, for a 68 year old woman it didn't present any problem to her health. He remarked that there is only one type of Mexican scorpion whose venom is deadly to all humans. It is found in the state of Durango and the city of Leon, Guanajuato. It is native to the former but has taken hold in Leon, the shoe manufacturing hub in the country. It is presumed that they arrive in the shipments of cattle hides.

wiloran

Aug 8, 2011, 9:30 PM

Post #7 of 12 (3028 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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You ask how much it costs in Mexico. I was stung a couple of years ago and ended up in the emergency room on the 3rd day after. Three hours on an IV pumping Anascorp into my system and the total bill was only $165.00 US.

Reefhound

Aug 9, 2011, 5:24 AM

Post #8 of 12 (3012 views)

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Re: [wiloran] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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Well the $10k cost cited for the U.S. was for the deadliest case and sounded like a WAG at that, but still, I think if I get bitten by a scorpion in Texas I'll take an impromptu vacation south of the border.

jrpierce

Aug 9, 2011, 7:54 AM

Post #9 of 12 (2991 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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That sounds like a good plan, Reefhound! $165 US versus $10,000 is quite a gap. But as you said, that was for the worst case. I wouldn't be surprised if docs in the US overkill treatment for something like this to avoid getting sued. Also, if the FDA made the Mexican drug company go through lots of expensive hoops, the company might well have added a big markup to compensate for that. ¿Quien sabe?

Jim

Reefhound

Aug 9, 2011, 8:28 AM

Post #10 of 12 (2983 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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I'm pretty sure it won't be $165 in the U.S. in any case. ;-)

richmx2

Aug 9, 2011, 9:46 AM

Post #11 of 12 (2965 views)

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Re: [jrpierce] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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When you come down to it, a lot of basic medications we use did come from Mexico, at least initially. The most important x was the Huastaca home-remedy for birth control, which led to "the pill", which despite some problems, has been the single most important factor in improving women's health in the last few centuries.

http://mexfiles.net
http://voiceofmexico.com
http://editorialmazatlan.com

Carol_Wheeler

Aug 9, 2011, 11:54 PM

Post #12 of 12 (2901 views)

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Re: [richmx2] México to Provide Scorpion Anti-Venom to the USA

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Yes, that's true. Tony Burton wrote about this in his Mexconnect "Did You Know" series in 2003:

Did You Know? Birth control pills come from Mexican yams

http://www.mexconnect.com/...me-from-mexican-yams

Tony continues to surprise me with his Geo-Mexico blog posts. Good reading!

: )

(This post was edited by Rolly on Aug 10, 2011, 7:56 AM)