Drugs from nature help millions. But there’s a catch
Big pharma and others that have made a buck from genetic resources have been asked to funnel some profit back to communities where the organisms come from.
A flower from Madagascar called a periwinkle contains compounds scientists have used to treat cancer.
A flower from Madagascar held a secret to halting cancer. A sea sponge in the Caribbean was responsible for the first antiretroviral treatment for HIV. The venom of a lizard found in Mexico and the United States inspired the blockbuster drug Ozempic for weight loss and diabetes.
For decades, drugmakers and researchers have found lifesaving medical advances in dozens of plants, animals and other organisms. But the countries harbouring the richest biodiversity on Earth – in Latin America, Africa and Asia – often don’t profit from the creation of treatments and other innovations inspired by nature.
