1. Creating a Network of Public Laboratories for the Production and Quality Control of Anti-venoms in Latin America: Towards Regional Self-sufficiency through Cooperation Project Participation: 14 institutions from 9 Latin American Countries. Project presented by Costa Rica through the University of Costa Rica’s Clodomiro Picado Institute, whose mission aims to study and support solutions relating to the problem of poisonings by venomous animals in the region (www.icp.ucr.ac.cr).

2. Problem and Project Response Poisoning caused by snake bites are a serious public health problem in Latin America, affecting close to 100,000 people every year and causing death and disease. It remains a neglected problem that affects rural areas in conditions of poverty. There exists a conglomerate of laboratories, above all in the public sector, that produce antivenins for the treatment of poisonings. These laboratories rely on collaboration. The quality and quantity of antivenins that these laboratories produce vary and need improvement. The quality control of antivenins is an priority theme in the region since it relates to the internal capabilities of every producer laboratory, as well as the quality control laboratories that regulate the suitability of both the imported and locally manufactured products A priority is to strengthen to regional capacities in order to control the quality of antivenins, through the use of regional cooperation projects

3. Project Objective: Consolidate, through the use of cooperation, a regional network of public production and quality control laboratories that deal with antivenins, which will promote cooperative and synergistic training processes, improvements in quality, and create systems of that control the quality of the antivenins produced in the region so that we can meet regional needs for these pharmaceutical products and ensure antivenins of quality.

4. Expected Project Products: The strengthening of regional laboratories’ quality-control technology. The development of training activities for improvements in the quality control of the antivenins in the different countries. On site solutions to technological problems in the production and quality control laboratories by visits from experts from the region. The development of regional workshops on antivenin quality control themes. The publication of documents, manuals, and scientific-technological studies Cross-cooperative quality control of antivenins through the participation of various laboratories Ultimately, the strengthening of all laboratories and regional training related to this topic

5. Beneficiaries Sustainability Laboratories that control the quality of antivenins in the region. In general, these laboratories have little access to training activities and exchange with other institutions in the region. People affected by snake bites: Workers, farmers, children, teenagers, and other especially vulnerable populations (indigenous groups, migrants, and people will little access to health services). The laboratories involved are established groups within institutions committed to solving the solution to this problem The achievements and improvements will be incorporated into said institutions, guaranteeing the project’s sustainability The improvement of the internal capacities in this subject will have diverse returns that will fortify the sustainability of the efforts