There Are Currently Six Drugs Made from Snake Venom, Other Poisonous Species That Are FDA Approved

The use of venom as medicine has been occurring for quite some time now, even if much of the world was unaware of it. Currently, there are six drugs made from the venom of snakes and other poisonous species that have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, is FDA-approved for use in treating high blood pressure, as well as to reduce the risk of heart failure following a heart attack. Its primary constituent comes from a species of pit viper found in Brazil.

Byetta, which is part of a new wave of drugs designed to lower blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes, is another snake venom-containing drug with FDA approval. Its main ingredient is exendin-4, which is found in the saliva of the Gila monster, a large lizard species native to the United States Southwest and northwestern Mexico.