Türkiye to export scorpion antivenom to Europe

ANKARA

Türkiye, a producer of scorpion antivenom for several decades, is now preparing to export the product to European countries.

Live scorpions collected from the southeastern provinces of Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır are brought to the laboratory, where suitable living conditions are provided, and venom is extracted through electrical stimulation.

The venom is then converted into a vaccine and harmlessly administered to horses in the capital Ankara’s Polatlı district, where protective antibodies are subsequently harvested and purified.

The resulting anti-serums undergo quality control tests before being delivered to the Health Ministry for human use against scorpion stings.

Veterinarian Mehmet Ali Kanat, a biological products laboratory supervisor, said that Türkiye does not import antivenom, relying solely on domestically produced solutions.

“Interest and demand for Turkish scorpion serum have been noted internationally, with plans for exports to European countries in the near future, followed by potential expansion to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula,” he said.

“I would like to say that there is interest and demand for our scorpion serum from abroad. Hopefully, we will send it to some countries in Europe in the coming period,” Kanat added.

Stating that the serum they produce is not used in any treatment other than scorpion stings, Kanat said, "It is only used in the treatment of cases that need treatment due to common scorpion stings in the world."