The best article about antivenom you will read today

Via Marginal Revolution, this fascinating article: 

The difficulties of antivenom production

Why has supplying Africa and other poor regions with working antivenom proven so difficult?

Since its invention, the way we produce antivenom has not fundamentally changed. Around the world snake handlers are manually milking snakes for their venom, injecting it into large animals, typically horses, and tapping their blood to extract the antiserum. This is an expensive procedure that involves keeping horses in stables, keeping snakes in cages, employing animal handlers to milk the snakes, and investing in numerous pieces of technical equipment to tap the blood, extract the antivenom, and purify it.

Moreover, developing countries face a unique set of challenges that make profitable production and distribution of antivenom especially difficult. The lack of cold chains to clinics and pharmacies means manufacturers have to freeze-dry the antivenom so it can be stored at room temperature, which adds an extra step to the manufacturing process and drives up the price.

It's a bit depressing that this (antivenom production) is both difficult and not particularly profitable. Here's hoping that the relevant governments and companies come to a mutually-agreeable long-term solution.