What makes snakes terrifying is the ability of some to kill by
injecting venom. The only known antidote is anti-venom serum,
which is made by using venom. For centuries, man has recognised
that the snake's deadly cocktail of toxins and enzymes may also
contain a range of medications. Most modern therapeutic products
developed from venom are used to treat diseases affecting the
nervous system, the cardiovascular system and blood, the very
systems that venom targets to kill prey.  Many drugs, such as
captopril (treats hypertension and congenitive heart failure)
from the venom of a South American pit viper called Jararaca,
eptifibatide (for a blood disorder) from the Pygmy Rattlesnake
of the U.S. and ancrod (treats stroke patients) from the Malayan
Pit Viper, are already on the market. Last month, another drug
ximelagatran, derived from cobra venom, was launched to prevent
stroke and treat people undergoing orthopaedic surgery. A
protein isolated from the Gila Monster's toxic saliva is now
being prescribed to co