PIL
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
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SPC
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
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