Snake venom tested as stroke treatment

EDISON, N.J. - An experimental drug made from the venom of the Malaysian pit viper is being tested on stroke patients at three hospitals in New Jersey.

Neurologists said the drug Viprinex has been shown to help dissolve clots and thin blood, the New Jersey Star-Ledger said Wednesday. Doctors said the drug may be effective as long as six hours after stroke symptoms begin, twice as long as other clot-busting drugs on the market.

Drug maker Neurobiological Technologies Inc. said venom from the Malaysian pit viper, an aggressive snake that grows to about three feet in length, is frozen before being purified and converted to a drug product.

BACK