The U.S. Food and Drug Administration an antivenin used to treat bark scorpion stings on Wednesday, the first drug of its kind on the U.S. market. Also known as the Centruroides scorpion, the bark scorpion is the country鈥檚 most common scorpion, and its most venomous. The antivenin, Ansacorp, is an injectable drug made in Mexico in the same manner as snake antivenom; a horse is injected with venom and immunized plasma is extracted. Bark scorpion stings are rarely life threatening to adults, but can be dangerous for children and infants. About 11,000 people are stung annually in Arizona, where the scorpion is most common. can include breathing problems, slurred speech, neurological problems, and numbness or burning in the area of the sting. The FDA approved the antivenin after a study showed neurological improvements in children who had been stung. There are no other drugs approved for scorpion stings.
Read more at