Desert dwellers can rest easier: There’s now an antidote for at least one nocturnal danger.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first treatment for scorpion stings. The antidote, Anascorp, was specifically approved for the treatment of stings by the Centruroides scorpion, also called the bark scorpion. Centruroides are found primarily in the Southwest and are the most common scorpions in the United States. Poison centers in Arizona document 11,000 scorpion stings every year, according to the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center.
Researchers in Mexico developed Anascorp from horse plasma. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 15 children with scorpion sting symptoms, researchers observed that participants who took Anascorp were symptom-free within 4 hours. In comparison, children with severe symptoms usually spend several days in an ICU. Severe symptoms include difficulty breathing, loss of muscle control, fluid in the lungs, slurred speech, abnormal eye movement, trouble swallowing, blurred vision, and excess saliva.
Dr. Karen Midthun, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said this development will improve care especially for children, who are most vulnerable to developing severe symptoms.
"Scorpion stings can be life-threatening, especially in infants and children," Dr. Midthun said in a statement. "This product provides a new treatment for children and adults and is designed specifically for scorpion stings."
Rare Disease Therapeutics will market the drug to health care facilities in areas where bark scorpions are found, such as parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.
According to the FDA, the most common side effects of the antidote include vomiting, fever, rash, nausea, itchiness, headache, runny nose, and muscle pain. The FDA recommends that sting victims who are children or who are experiencing severe symptoms should seek immediate medical treatment. If the victim is 5 years old or younger, or if an older patient has more than minor discomfort, the FDA recommends calling the poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
* Correction, 10/21/2011: The original version of this article contained a photograph of a scorpion that has since been removed because it did not depict the Centruroides scorpion.