For snakebite victims, antivenom is critical — and costly. It took more than $200,000 worth of antivenom to save one toddler’s life after he was bitten by a rattlesnake.
This spring, Brigland Pfeffer was bitten by a rattlesnake while playing in his San Diego backyard. After problems administering a starting dose of antivenom, emergency room staffers found a way that worked and stabilized the 2-year-old. He received 30 total vials of the antivenom Anavip. This spring, a few days after his 2nd birthday, Brigland Pfeffer was playing with his siblings in their San Diego backyard.
Still unable to start the antivenom, a doctor asked for her permission to try drastic measures. “Just get something going,” she recalled pleading. It often takes more than a dozen vials, typically costing thousands per vial, to treat a snakebite. The median number per patient is 18 vials, said Michelle Ruha, an emergency room doctor in Arizona and former president of the American College of Medical Toxicology.
For instance, Medicare — the government program for those who are at least 65 or disabled — pays about $2,000 for a vial of Anavip. On average, Dusetzina said, that is the price hospitals pay for it.
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