Cal Med College & Hosp conducts clinical trial of drug for treating snakebite patients

kolkata: The Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH) is set to script history as it successfully conducts the first phase trial of Varespladib methyl, a drug meant for the treatment of snakebite patients.

The clinical trial was performed on a 30-year-old youth snake bite patient from South 24-Parganas. The patient was taken to the hospital within 8 hours since he was bitten by a snake. The patient has been cured and therefore released from the hospital.

The CNMCH is the only medical college in the eastern India which is carrying out research on the subject. Around four institutions across the country are a part of this research. This could be a major success on the part of CNMCH, if the efficacy of the oral drug against snake bite is proved. A section of researchers believe that this drug prevents the fast deterioration of human organs. As a result it gives more time to the doctors to start treatment with anti-venom drugs.

A senior official of the trial who is conducting the project said: 'The CNMCH is the only centre in Eastern India selected for this project because it has the infrastructure to treat snakebite victims and gets the maximum number of patients suffering from snake bites. The initial trial will be on 72 volunteers, who will be put in two groups. Participants of both the groups will be under close monitoring and their blood samples will be closely recorded and later studied elaborately."

Fatalities in India are estimated at a staggering 50,000 annually, the world's highest as the patients are inadequately treated or the cases are often under-reported. Snakebites are neglected and the consequences occur mostly in poor people. It may be mentioned here that in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized snakebites as a neglected tropical disease.