Venom-Derived Drugs: From Captopril to Ozempic
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- Captopril was synthesized from peptides in the venom of the Brazilian pit viper Bothrops jararaca, discovered by Sérgio Henrique Ferreira in 1965 and approved by the FDA in 1981 as the first oral ACE inhibitor for hypertension and heart failure.
- Ziconotide, a synthetic version of a cone snail venom peptide, treats severe chronic pain without acting on opioid receptors, offering a refuge for patients with limited options.
- Exenatide, derived from the Gila monster peptide exendin-4, is the founding molecule of the GLP-1 drug class that now includes Ozempic and Mounjaro for diabetes and obesity.
- Tozuleristide, dubbed 'tumor paint' and developed by Blaze Bioscience from deathstalker scorpion venom peptide chlorotoxin, has completed four Phase 1 trials in brain, breast, and skin cancers and received FDA Fast Track designation for pediatric central nervous system tumors.
- Each venom contains hundreds of distinct molecules that scientists isolate through fractionation, then test against specific biological targets and modify to remove toxicity while preserving therapeutic effect.
- Biodiversity loss — 18 soccer fields of tropical forest lost per minute, freshwater organisms down 85%, and insect populations nearly halved over 40 years — threatens undiscovered medicines, given that roughly half of all FDA-approved drugs already derive from nature.
Why it matters: The piece makes a conservation-meets-pharma argument: with roughly half of FDA-approved drugs derived from nature, the extinction crisis quantified in the column (18 soccer fields of tropical forest lost per minute, 85% freshwater decline) means potential blockbuster medicines are likely disappearing before researchers can screen them. For pharmaceutical companies and patients awaiting new therapies, the venom-to-pharmacy pipeline depends on species vanishing faster than drug discovery can keep pace.
