Modified snake venom in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lack of clinical effectiveness.

Diverse observations including neurological examination, manual muscle testing, quantitative electromyography, videotape esophagrams, and pulmonary function tests were used in a double-blind study evaluating the use of detoxified snake venoms as modified neurotoxin in 64 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treated for six months. Transient periods of improvement were more common in the patients who received placebo. This study did not demonstrate any benefit from administration of modified snake venom to patients with ALS.