Traditionally, antivenom is produced by first "milking" venom from the fangs of captive snakes, then injecting small amounts of that venom into animals such as horses. Those creatures respond by producing venom-neutralizing antibodies which are harvested from their blood, purified, then used in the antivenom.

This can be quite a lengthy process, plus the workers who extract the venom run a risk of getting bitten by the snakes. Additionally, the antivenom must be applied intravenously, typically in a hospital or clinic