botulinum antitoxin

Two primary botulinum antitoxins are available for treatment of botulism.

Botulism treatments, as well, including 107,560 doses of Botulinum Antitoxin Therapeutic from Cangene.

This action left HBAT as the only botulinum antitoxin available in the US for naturally occurring non-infant botulism.

Trivalent (A,B,E) botulinum antitoxin is derived from equine sources using whole antibodies (Fab and Fc portions).

This process renders it less efficacious at neutralizing toxin than the other product - trivalent botulinum antitoxin (TBAT) - available from local health departments (via the CDC) for treatment of wound and foodborne botulism.

The second antitoxin is heptavalent (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) botulinum antitoxin which is derived from "despeciated" equine IgG antibodies which have had the Fc portion cleaved off leaving the F(ab')2 portions.

On 1 June 2006 the US Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $363 million contract with Cangene Corporation for 200,000 doses of heptavalent botulinum antitoxin over five years for delivery into the Strategic National Stockpile beginning in 2007.

In 2010, the CDC replaced the licensed bivalent botulinum antitoxin AB (BAT-AB, or "BabyBIG") and the investigational monovalent botulinum antitoxin E (BAT-E) with HBAT when the former two products indications expired.

CDC/MMWR (March 19, 2010): "Investigational Heptavalent Botulinum Antitoxin (HBAT) to Replace Licensed Botulinum Antitoxin AB and Investigational Botulinum Antitoxin E".