CROFAB®

[Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab) (Ovine)]

CroFab® [Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab (Ovine)] is a sterile, nonpyrogenic, purified, lyophilized preparation of ovine Fab (monovalent) immunoglobulin fragments obtained from the blood of healthy sheep flocks immunized with one of the following North American snake venoms: Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus scutulatus (Mojave rattlesnake), and Agkistrodon piscivorus (Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin). To obtain the final antivenin product, the four different monospecific antivenins are mixed. Each monospecific antivenin is prepared by fractionating the immunoglobulin from the ovine serum, digesting it with papain, and isolating the venom-specific Fab fragments on ion exchange and affinity chromatography columns.

CroFab is standardized by its ability to neutralize the lethal action of each of the four venom immunogens following intravenous injection in mice. The potency of the product will vary from batch to batch; however, a minimum number of mouse LD₅₀ neutralizing units against each of the four venoms is included in every vial of final product, as shown in Table 1. For comparison, the minimum potency of each monospecific component in the batches demonstrated to be efficacious inclinical trials is also included in Table 1.