Redback spider anti-venom doesn't work and people are better off taking over-the-counter paracetamol, a Newcastle study has found.
In the trial, 224 Australian patients were treated for redback spider bites with either standard pain relief or anti-venom.
At the end of the three-year study at Newcastle's Calvary Mater Hospital, clinical toxicologist Geoff Isbister concluded that anti-venom did not work.
"We found there was no difference between the people who got the anti-venom and the people that didn't," Dr Isbister told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
The results confirmed a suspicion within scientific circles that the anti-venom simply didn't work, he said.
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"Ultimately, we'll start to change practice, or at least make people question what exactly they're doing when they treat redback spider bites."
Anti-venom also has its risks. Produced using horse protein, it can cause an allergic reaction in one in 20 people.
"This is an example of something that works in a test tube, but doesn't translate into making patients better," Dr Isbister said.
Unlike funnel-web spiders, redback bites are not fatal to humans, but can cause pain and nausea.
Simple pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication are enough to treat the symptoms of a redback bite.
The study was presented at an international toxicology conference in Dubai on Tuesday.
