| The next time you see a snake, don’t kill it or drive | | | | scorpion stings that is used in many hospitals. |
| it away. That slithering serpent may save you from | | | | The idea that snake venom might be useful in treating |
| the pain of arthritis. | | | | arthritis occurred to Primor in the early 80s when |
| This bizarre revelation comes from Dr. Naftali Primor, | | | | Shulov told him that Russian immigrants used a healing |
| research and development manager for Shulov | | | | salve supposedly made of viper venom to treat body |
| Institute for Sciences Ltd (SIS) in Israel, who said that | | | | aches and pains. |
| certain chemicals in snake venom may help treat | | | | Following this lead, Primor set his sights on the |
| arthritis – a condition that affects over 46 million | | | | Palestinian viper – a common snake in Israel – |
| people in the United States alone. | | | | and extracted its venom. He found that the venom |
| “The scientific team that Primor heads at SIS has | | | | contained about 1,000 molecules of which only four or |
| identified the chemicals in the snake venom of cobras, | | | | five are poisonous. He then isolated an analgesic |
| vipers and rattlers. The company is using this | | | | molecule and made a synthetic copy called VeP-3. |
| knowledge to make a potent analgesic against chronic | | | | "About 99 percent of the venom is non-toxic, which |
| pain such as arthritis, and secondary pain caused by | | | | leaves us with a great source of possible drug |
| other diseases such as cancer. Primor suspects that | | | | components," said the 62-year-old snake specialist and |
| the venom has therapeutic properties also, but more | | | | biochemist. |
| studies need to be done,” according to Britain Israel | | | | With this discovery, Primor hopes to create a snake |
| Communications and Research Center (BICOM). | | | | venom pain-reliving cream that will hit drugstores in the |
| As early as 2002, there have been reports of people | | | | near future. He intends to use the same technique |
| who were mysteriously cured of arthritis after being | | | | used by pharmaceutical company Merck & Company |
| bitten by snakes. Jose de Casa, 66, a longtime arthritis | | | | in mimicking the beneficial effects of the deadly venom |
| sufferer from Northamptonshire in England, was | | | | without its toxic effects. |
| cleaning his garden when an adder bit him. For the | | | | “Snake venom has already led to several new |
| next few months, he was pain-free. | | | | drugs used by Britons. Take for example, Aggrastat, a |
| “After the bite I noticed that the usual pain that I | | | | 'super aspirin' introduced by Merck to prevent blood |
| have in the joint of my finger had gone completely and | | | | clots and to help prevent heart attacks in people |
| this lasted for three or four weeks. Then the pain was | | | | hospitalized with severe chest pain. The drug came |
| reduced for a couple of months, although it is now | | | | about through the knowledge that some victims of |
| back to normal," he told the BBC News. | | | | snakebites bleed to death because the venom |
| Primor believes the bad publicity surrounding snakes is | | | | contains proteins that prevent blood clotting,” said |
| unfair, considering that these creatures occupy an | | | | BICOM. |
| importance place in medicine. As far as he can | | | | “Researchers from Temple University in Philadelphia |
| remember, he has always been fond of snakes. Little | | | | and Merck isolated molecules from actual viper venom, |
| did he know he would bring back his slithering friends | | | | then Merck built a synthetic molecule to mimic the |
| into the limelight again. | | | | viper's anti-clotting effect but without the toxins. |
| In 1986, his friend the late Professor Aharon Shulov of | | | | Through a similar process, SIS is attempting to create |
| the Hebrew University and Aviv Marx founded SIS | | | | an arthritic pain reliever,” BICOM added. |
| that currently produces an antiserum for yellow | | | | |