CBS 5 - KPHO Rare scorpion anti-venom available in Arizona

Rare scorpion anti-venom available in Arizona

Scorpion stings are all too common in the desert and throughout the United States, with 15,000 stings reported last year by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

An anti-venom called Anascorp® has been approved by the FDA and is now available here in Arizona.

Dr. Leslie Boyer, MD, Director of the UA VIPER Institute has been developing this project for the past 12 years.

"The drug is 98 percent effective and takes a potentially life-threatening disease and reverses it," Boyer said.

The drug has been available in Mexico for years, but the anti-venom had several side effects.

Boyer said Mexico produces a quarter of a million doses per year.

In the United States, the cost of treatment is about $3,500 per vile of anti-venom.

Treatment for a scorpion stings generally requires three vials, costing the family about $10,000 on average for treatment.

Boyer said less than 200 people in the U.S. become seriously ill after being stung.

"A child who would normally go into intensive care after a scorpion sting now can go home after the two to four hours after they have been given the drug."

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