Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42766697›Full record

Trial reportPLoS neglected tropical diseases2026

Adjunctive Varespladib after antivenom administration for snakebite: A phase II randomized clinical trial.

Charles J Gerardo, Ashish Bhalla, Chitta R Mohanty, Badal K Sahu, Surendra Kumar, Suneil Agrawal, Manu Ayyan S, Eileen Shu, Travis Deuson, Madhu Kumar R and 23 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled TrialClinical Trial, Phase IIMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05717062 (Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Intravenous Varespladib Followed by Oral Varespladib in Addition to Standard of Care in Subjects Bitten by Venomous Snakes), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05717062 phase2completednot on this map

Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Intravenous Varespladib Followed by Oral Varespladib in Addition to Standard of Care in Subjects Bitten by Venomous Snakes

TypeinterventionalSponsorOphirex, Inc.Ran2023 to 2025Enrolled140ConditionsSnakebite, Envenoming, SnakeArmsVarespladib intravenous form, varespladib-methyl- oral form, Placebo intravenous form, Placebo - oral form
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

33 authors.

Charles J GerardoDuke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
Ashish BhallaPostgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Chitta R MohantyAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India.
Badal K SahuNil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Surendra KumarSardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.
Suneil AgrawalDesert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, California, United States of America.
Manu Ayyan SJawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
Eileen ShuAntelope Valley Medical Center, Lancaster, California, United States of America.
Travis DeusonAntelope Valley Medical Center, Lancaster, California, United States of America.
Madhu Kumar RKR Hospital, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
Norman L BeattyUniversity of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.
Peter D AkpunonuCollege of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America.
Farshad M ShiraziArizona Poison and Drug Information Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America.
Sarah WatkinsTexas Tech University Health Sciences, El Paso, Texas, United States of America.
Anne-Michelle RuhaBanner University Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
Shawn M VarneyUniversity of Texas Health-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America.
Anil K GoelAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.
Medhavi GautamKing George University Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Justin ArnoldTampa General Hospital, Tampa, Florida, United States of America.
Chanaveerappa BammigattiJawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
Samuel J FrancisDuke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
Suresh SelvamPostgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2195-1089
Harish KumarSardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India.
Adiel AizenbergTexas Tech University Health Sciences, El Paso, Texas, United States of America.
Andrew MiccicheCollege of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America.
Rylee S BledsoeDuke University Hospital, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
Ginger BoatrightOphirex, Inc., Corte Madera, California, United States of America.
Suraj C OommanOphirex, Inc., Corte Madera, California, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5879-1886
Stephen P SamuelOphirex, Inc., Corte Madera, California, United States of America.
Janet T WittesWittes, LLC, Washington, United States of America.
Rebecca W CarterOphirex, Inc., Corte Madera, California, United States of America.
Matthew R LewinCalifornia Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
Timothy F Platts-MillsOphirex, Inc., Corte Madera, California, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9881-3194

Funding

FDA HHS R01 FD007839
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSnakebite envenoming causes an estimated 81,000-138,000 deaths and more than 400,000 cases of permanent disability each year, disproportionately affecting low-resource regions. Antivenom is the only approved treatment but requires intravenous administration. We evaluated intravenous followed by oral varespladib as adjunctive therapy to antivenom in hospitalized patients with snakebite envenoming. METHODS AND

findingsIn this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial in India (CTRI/2023/10/058782) and the USA (NCT05717062), patients with snakebite envenoming were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive varespladib or placebo, both in addition to standard of care including antivenom. For elapid envenoming, the primary endpoint was time to recovery of 5-second head-lift. For viper envenoming, the primary endpoint was area under the curve (AUC) from baseline to Day 14 of a 3-item Snakebite Severity Score (SSS). Between June 3rd, 2023, and October 19th, 2024, 140 patients were randomized and 139 were analyzed (73 varespladib; 66 placebo). Study drug was initiated a mean of 7.3 hours after the bite and 3.3 hours after antivenom. Among elapid-bite patients, mean time to head-lift recovery was 27.6 hours with varespladib vs. 36.2 hours with placebo (p = 0.6). Among viper-bite patients, SSS AUC to Day 14 was 660 with varespladib vs. 629 with placebo (p = 0.7). No serious adverse event occurred with varespladib.

conclusionsIn this trial in which varespladib was initiated on average 7 hours after snakebite and several hours after antivenom, late adjunctive varespladib did not meet the primary endpoint. Interpretation of these results is limited by heterogeneity in the snake species responsible for envenoming and the associated differences in venom composition, clinical manifestations, and antivenom treatments.

Indexed as

AntiveninsSnake BitesAcetatesAdolescentAdultAnimalsDouble-Blind MethodDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHumansIndiaIndolesKeto AcidsMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeAcetatesAntiveninsIndolesKeto Acidsvarespladib

Identifiers

PMID42766697
PMCPMC13614639

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.