[Immunotoxicotherapy]

Immunotoxicotherapy has been used against animal venoms for almost a century. The last several years have brought major innovations in its safety and efficacy, the processes of fragmentation permitting a greater volume of distribution, diminished risk of sensitization and renal elimination. This progress is clearly illustrated in the case of digitalis and colchicine. Hope exists for tricyclic antidepressants and cocaine. The efficacy of immunotoxicotherapy does not eliminate the necessity of aggressive symptomatic therapy in the course of life-threatening intoxications. Untoward effects appear rare and minor, mainly due to the heterogeneity of active binding sites and to immunogenicity (with risks of hypersensitivity and serum sickness). The elevated cost of immunotoxicotherapy and its restriction to drugs toxic at low doses (on the order of a few mg) limit its application at present.