Formulation of a liquid ovine Fab-based antivenom for the treatment of envenomation by the Nigerian carpet viper (Echis ocellatus).

Most antivenoms are required for use in tropical or sub-tropical countries where temperatures may be high and refrigerated storage unavailable or unreliable. Although freeze-dried products can be expected to have maximal storage stability, many antivenoms are manufactured in liquid form to lower their cost and ease their use. We developed a liquid formulation of an existing freeze-dried antivenom against the carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) for use in Nigeria.