This lack of correlation is not surprising as the literature clearly describes evidence of variation in venom composition within individual Bothrops species caused by various factors, such as venom sampling location inclusive of habitat variation, gender or ontogeny differences, and wild caught vs captive bred (Supplementary file 1; Alape-Girón et al., 2009; Gonçalves-Machado et al., 2016; Amorim et al., 2018; Núñez et al., 2009; Mora-Obando et al., 2023). Challenges associated with the neutralising efficacy of antivenoms, such as Instituto Butantan’s polyvalent antivenom antibotrópico, have also been reported against certain SVMP isoforms (Calvete et al., 2011; Sousa et al., 2013). Marimastat also has a longer half-life in humans of 8–10 hr (Millar et al., 1998), compared to prinomastat (2–5 hr; Hande et al., 2004), further justifying the prioritised progression. While the current study did not assess the efficacy of these molecules against Bothrops venoms in a murine preclinical model of envenoming, previous work suggests the chicken embryo model can be highly informative and translatable relative to the standard WHO mouse preclinical model (Sells et al., 1997; Sells et al., 1998; Sells et al., 2001), with correlations between the two previously noted (Verity et al., 2021; Yusuf et al., 2023). Overall, this study provides convincing evidence of the potential value of small molecule-based toxin inhibitors for the treatment of snakebite in the Neotropics, adding further weight to the recent paradigm shift towards early therapeutic interventions via oral dosing in community settings (Clare et al., 2021; Abouyannis et al., 2025; Gerardo et al., 2024).