Black snake antivenom

Country: Australia

Language: English

Source: Department of Health (Therapeutic Goods Administration)

Active ingredient:

Black snake antivenom

Available from:

Nova Pharmaceuticals Australasia Pty Ltd

Class:

Medicine Registered

Patient Information leaflet

BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM 
1 
BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM

CONSUMER MEDICINE INFORMATION_ _

WHAT IS IN THIS LEAFLET 

This leaflet answers some common 
questions about Black Snake 
Antivenom. 

It does not contain all the available 
information. It does not take the 
place of talking to your doctor or 
pharmacist. 

All medicines have risks and 
benefits.  Your doctor has weighed 
the risks of you having Black Snake 
Antivenom against the benefits they 
expect it will have. 

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THIS 
MEDICINE, ASK YOUR DOCTOR, NURSE 
OR PHARMACIST. 

KEEP THIS LEAFLET. 
You may need to read it again. 

WHAT BLACK SNAKE 
ANTIVENOM IS USED FOR 

_WHAT IT IS USED FOR _

Black  Snake  Antivenom  is  given  to 
those  people  who  become  ill  after 
being  bitten  by  a  king  brown  snake 
or  mulga  snake.    The  antivenom  is 
also effective if you have been bitten 
by  a  black  snake  but  Tiger  Snake 
Antivenom  is  usually  used  for 
treating black snake bites as it is just 
as effective but is a smaller injection. 

Not everyone who is bitten needs the 
antivenom as some people have only 
very mild effects from the bite or 
none at all.  However, some people 
can become very ill after being bitten 
and in these people it is essential to 
use an appropriate amount of 
antivenom to counteract the effects 
of the poison.   

_HOW IT WORKS _

Black  Snake  Antivenom  is  an 
injection  designed  to  help  neutralise 
the  effect  of  the  poison  (venom)  of 
the king brown snake (mulga).  

It  is  made  by  immunising  horses 
against the venom of the king brown 
snake and then collecting that part of 
the  horse’s  blood  which  neutralises 
this poison.   

The �

Summary of Product characteristics

BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM PRODUCT INFORMATION 

 1(4) 

PRODUCT INFORMATION 

NAME OF THE MEDICINE 

BLACK 
SNAKE 
ANTIVENOM       
AUST 
R 
74894 

DESCRIPTION 

BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM is prepared from the plasma of horses
immunised with the venom of the 
king brown snake (_Pseudechis australis_) also known as the mulga
snake.  The king brown snake is a 
member of the genus _Pseudechis_, known as black snakes.  Each vial
contains 18,000 units of 
antivenom which has been standardised to neutralise _in vitro_ the
average yield of venom from the king 
brown snake.  The product also contains phenol, sodium chloride and
other equine plasma proteins in 
an aqueous solution. 

PHARMACOLOGY 

The venom of the king brown snake contains neurotoxins, myolytic
toxins and an anticoagulant toxin 
but does not cause afibrinogenaemic coagulopathy as happens
with most other Australian snake 
venoms.   The venom is less toxic for laboratory animals than that of
most other Australian snakes but 
the volume of venom is often greater. 

Although BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM is effective against other members of
the genus _Pseudechis_, 
including the red-bellied or common black snake, Tiger Snake
Antivenom is usually the preferred 
treatment.  Tiger Snake Antivenom is equally effective whilst the
volume of injection and the amount of 
equine protein are less than with BLACK SNAKE ANTIVENOM (see
PRECAUTIONS). 

INDICATIONS 

For the treatment of patients who exhibit manifestations of systemic
envenoming following a bite by a 
king brown or mulga snake.  Although the antivenom is effective in
the management of patients who 
are bitten by other members of the genus _Pseudechis_, including the
red-bellied or common black 
snake, Tiger Snake Antivenom is the preferred treatment (see
PHARMACOLOGY). 

CONTRAINDICATIONS 

There are no absolute contraindications, but the product should not be
used unless there is clear 
evidence of sy