How to start a antivemon facility?

[Doggtyred]

So lets look at what you really are trying to do here...

First.. what species are you looking to cover? Crotalidae? (north american pit vipers)? they already have a product called Cro-Fab that is an antibody produced in specially kept sheep herds. It comes in a frozen powder that is reconstituted with sterile saline. 98% of snake envenemations in North America are appropriately treatable by the CroFab product. Its purified, and contains primarily, if not exclusively, the antibodies to crotalid venoms and no other antigens. This is important. Crotalid venom causes collagen tissue destruction and derangements to the coagulation cascades.

Here is a link to the manufacturers website regarding how they do it. http://www.crofab.com/treatment/about/production/

Given you are posting with a location listed as Pennslyvania, that includes you.

Coral snake envenomation is rare. Lack of fangs, need for a compliant (i.e. drunk or unconscious) victim. Pfizer/Wyeth used to make an antivenom but they no longer do. Some may still be available. The venom works as a neurotoxin, causing weakness and paralysis. You can survive without envenomation provided you present to appropriate medical care.. you might be on a ventilator for a few weeks, with all the risks of pneumonia, bedsores and other infections that being critically ill on mechanical ventilation entails, but you can survive the actual envenomation provided you get to help before you stop breathing.. Pfizer stopped making it because the rate of envenomation was so low, that it was unprofitable to keep making, particularly since you can survive without it.

So.. now... you are dealing with less than 1% of all remaining envenomations in North America. A very low volume proposition. You will need the technical background and expertise to manufacture (to medical grade) antibodies to these exceedingly rare (at least in the US) venoms. Simply envenomating horses and drawing off serum out of the blood is very crude and prone to many complications (referred to as serum sickness, which in some cases such as repeat treatments, can be fatal).

So to answer your question.. what do you need? You need money. A lot of it. To make a small fortune in the antivenin business, you need to start with a large fortune. I'm only half kidding. 99% of the market is covered already.

And frankly, if you live here in the US, I would question importing a foreign venomous snake without independently purchasing or ensuring local availability of the relevant antivenin.

My experience on this issue is not as a snake guy.. I'm new to keeping snakes. I have been occasionally involved in the local treatment of crotalid envenomations over the past 25 years in my local area as a paramedic and nurse.. knowing which hospitals to take patients to, which doctors to have called, who my herp handling resources were.. I saw on average one every other year..

I commend you for what appears to be altruistic motives, but from a practical standpoint, unless you are a recent lottery winner, I'd say you'd be better off setting up a go-fund-me account to simply buy what is already on the market for the populations in your area.