Botulism drug to be made here

A collaboration between the Public Health Ministry's Department of Medical Science (DMS) and Thai Red Cross Society plans to develop the serum for the disorder caused by the botulinum bacteria.

DMS directorgeneral, Dr Manit Theerathantikhanont said the department would allocate Bt5.6 million to support the project and will work to extract clostridium botulism from contaminated food which would help produce an antitoxin.

The department will then run tests on animals.

The Thai Red Cross Society will inject a safe amount into a rabbit before using a horse.

The animals' bodies will produce the antitoxin.

The blood will then be extracted from the animal and purified before injection into humans.

Manit said the department and the Thai Red Cross Council will spend four years on researching and developing the serum then produce enough to create a stockpile.

The toxins produced by clostridium botulinum are the most powerful naturally occurring toxins.

They attack the nervous system and cause paralysis.

The paralysis spreads to the lungs causing breathing failure, which can be fatal.

According to the Public Health Ministry's records from 1998 to 2006, 190 people suffered from botulism.

Three died from eating contaminated fermented bamboo shoots in Nan and Lampang.

The antitoxin is the key and patients must receive it within 71 hours to minimise the risk of complications.

At present, the serum has to be imported from the US and Japan and costs Bt100,000 per dose.

If the department could produce it locally, the cost could be halved.

This project could save lives as locally made drugs would be administered quickly, whereas they need to be shipped long distances at the moment.