Summary of Key Points
Each year, approximately 250,000 to 280,000 people in our country are bitten by venomous snakes, yet less than 20% of them have access to antivenom serum (with a coverage rate of just 12%). The root of the problem lies with the supply side, as there is only one company, Cailun Biology, responsible for production, facing multiple challenges: high production technology barriers, limited commercial returns, and stringent cold-chain storage requirements. Additionally, due to a lack of training, frontline doctors are hesitant to use the serum, leading to a severe mismatch between supply and demand. Although new technologies such as nanobodies and mRNA are under development, they will not be able to alleviate this situation in the short term.
Detailed Analysis
1. A Huge Gap Between Supply and Demand: Nearly 300,000 People Are Bitten Annually, but Only 12% Receive Serum
There are around 250,000 to 280,000 cases of snake bites annually in our country, with an antivenom serum coverage rate of only 12%. This means that only one out of every ten patients receives the life-saving treatment in a timely manner. The supply side is even more constrained: Cailun Biology is the sole company with production capabilities in China, and its products cover only four common types of venomous snakes, including vipers and pit vipers. Another company, Jiangxi Biology, is researching but will not be able to submit an application for market approval until at least the end of 2027, which means no increase in supply in the near future. For example, after the flooding in Hengzhou, Guangxi, 758 vials of serum had to be urgently dispatched, highlighting the severe shortage in grassroots reserves.
2. Complex and Costly Production and Storage: Raising Horses for Serum Production and Maintaining a Cold Chain
Antivenom serum is not a standard medication. The production process involves injecting snake venom into horses to induce antibody production, followed by plasma extraction and processing, taking more than half a year. Storage requirements are even more stringent; the serum must be kept at 2-8°C, and any power outage could render it ineffective. Grassroots hospitals need to purchase specialized refrigerators with temperature monitoring systems, incurring additional costs of several thousand yuan per year. Moreover, the serum has a shelf life of only 2-3 years, and since rural health centers may see only a few snake bite cases annually, excess inventory can easily go to waste. As a result, some hospitals in Wuhu and Yuanmou simply do not stockpile serum due to the high costs and risk of expiration.
3. Doctors Hesitate to Use It: The Life-Saving Drug Is a “Hot Potato”
Antivenom serum is a double-edged sword; it is a foreign protein extracted from horses, and injection can cause anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal in severe cases. Most frontline doctors have not received standardized training for snake bite treatment—they cannot identify the type of snake, calculate the correct dosage, or manage allergic reactions. For instance, a doctor from a top-tier hospital in the southwest said that in some areas, three years’ worth of serum is stored, but none has been used because doctors are afraid to administer it. Even if the serum is delivered to rural areas, it is useless without trained personnel.
4. Companies Cannot Make Big Profits: The Market Is Small and Profit Margins Are Low
Cailun Biology’s serum has high gross margins, but its revenue and profits are limited—revenue in 2025 was only 196 million yuan, with a net profit of 51.78 million yuan. Why? Snake bites are rare events in rural areas, resulting in a dispersed market demand and low commercial returns. Other companies are deterred by the high investment required (research and development, horse breeding, cold chain maintenance), leading to a monopoly on the supply side and insufficient production.
5. New Technologies Show Promise but Are Far from Being Ready for Use
Two new technologies are in development:
- Nanobodies: A Danish team has used alpacas to develop antibodies that can neutralize 17 types of snake venom, showing better efficacy than current serums, but these have only been tested in mice and need further safety assessments in humans.
- mRNA Technology: British researchers are injecting mRNA encoding antibodies into muscles to produce antibodies on-site, but this is currently for prevention (before a bite) and the effectiveness after a bite is unknown, with no clinical data available.
These technologies will take at least 5-10 years to be practical, so they cannot solve the current serum shortage in the short term.
Conclusion
The challenge of antivenom serum supply is a systemic issue, involving difficulties in production, high storage costs, lack of doctor knowledge, and low commercial incentives. In the short term, government subsidies for grassroots stockpiling and enhanced training for doctors are needed. In the long run, breakthroughs in new technologies will be essential to address this problem. For now, the gap in life-saving treatments for rural snake bite patients must be addressed through a collaborative effort from all stakeholders.