Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Published on: March 30, 2014
Antidotes and their availability in South Africa
Cherylynn Angela Wium1, Beverey Ann Hoffman
1Department Pharmacology, Tygerberg Poison Information Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. caw@sun.ac.za
Introduction:
The availability of antidotes is essential and often lifesaving in management of certain poisonings. Surveys conducted in a number of countries have demonstrated inadequate availability of antidotes. Since no similar studies have been published for South Africa, it was decided to investigate the local availability of antidotes.
Methods:
A questionnaire on the availability of antidotes was sent to government and private hospital pharmacies. The list of commonly required antidotes and supportive agents was compiled from WHO guidelines.
Results:
The response rate was 94%. None of the responding hospitals stocked all of the antidotes on the list. Tertiary hospitals had the highest percentage (67%) of antidotes available.
Discussion:
Seven antidotes were not stocked by any of the hospitals, including digoxin-specific antibody fragments, dimercaprol, calcium disodium edetate, fomepizole, intravenous pyridoxine, silibinin, and succimer. Five of these are not registered as medicines in South Africa.
Conclusions:
Poison information centers should work with local drug coding committees to improve availability of important antidotes.
More Related Videos
11:28Analysis of Iophenoxic Acid Analogues in Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus) Sera for Use as an Oral Rabies Vaccination Biological Marker
Published on: May 31, 2019
23:56Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
Related Concept Videos
Antidotes
Specific antidotes operate by inhibiting the enzymes that control biochemical pathways, reducing the production of harmful metabolites.
An example of an antidote is atropine, which counteracts the detrimental effects of cholinesterase inhibitors. It achieves this by deactivating muscarinic receptors,...
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Treatment Strategies
Anticholinesterase Agents: Poisoning and Treatment
Irreversible agents form a strong bond with the cholinesterase enzyme, making it inactive. The breakdown of the phosphorylated enzyme is slower than the...
Enhanced Elimination of Poison
Antidotes serve a crucial role in counteracting the effects of poison by inhibiting enzymes responsible for producing harmful drug metabolites. In some cases, these toxic metabolites can be neutralized by endogenous cosubstrates, which are maintained at specific concentrations to prevent interaction with cellular macromolecules and subsequent cell death.
Renal excretion is the...
Drug toxicity: Idiosyncratic Reactions
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios