5.a. case study rosy periwinkle and opium poppy

rosy preiwinkle

a small evergreen shrub which is native to madagascar, although it is now common in many tropical and sub tropical regions like india, china, the philippines and parts of africa

growing conditions

plant requires a warm tropical climate with temos above 20^oc without frost- damages plant- and where soils are well drained but moisture retaining and slightly acidic. high sunlight and moderate rainfall.

international trade

use in trasitional medicine is long established, from the treatment of wasp strings in india to diaberes in china and the philippines. today is mainly traded internationally for pharmaceutical production of cancer drugs and as a popular ornamental garden plant. most largescale commercial cultivation is now in india and parts of asia. multinational pharmaceutical companies dominate processing and drug manufacture= raw biological resources originate in LIDCs put profiles are concentrated in ACs

medical importance

however the plant came to the attention of scientists only in the late 1960s when analysis revealed that it contained 70 known alkaloids, several of whoch have significant medicinal value. 2 of these previously unknown alklaloids, vincristine and vinblastine, have been developed as powerful drugs in the treatment of various cancers. vincristine is successfully used in chemotherapy in childhood leukaemia and has helped increased survival rates from 10% in 1970 to over 90% today. vinblastine has also proved highly effective in treating hodgkins lymphoma. classed as essential medicines by the WHO

sustainable use

currently scientists are unable to synthesise these alkaloids and production of the drugs relies on commerical cultivation of the rosy periwinkle mainly in india, central asia and madagascar. global scales of vincristine and vinblastin are worth 100s of mils of dollars annually to Eli Lilly= US pharmaceutical giant that developed them however few of these profits are channelled back to madagascar and its indigenous rainforest people. this exploitation of biological resources is described as biopiracy. it deprives LIDCs like madagascar of valuable international trade, potential exports and value added. in doing so biopiracy hinders economic growth and progress in tackling poverty and inequality

more sustainable approaches

benefit sharing agreements under the convention on biological diversity, supporting local cultivation and processing in source countries, protecting biodiversity hotspots like madagascar’s rainforests to prevent over exploitation.

without sustainable management demand for the medicinal plants risk environmental degradation and continued economic inequality. the key drugs of vinncristine and vinblastine cannot currently be produced economically by full chemical synthesis as they are extremely complex molecules meaning it is too expensive and inefficient for commerical production. this means there is a reliance on the rosy periwinkle plants.

opium poppy

a flowering plant that has been cultivated for 1000 of years for its medicinal properties. it is a natural source of several important pain relieving drugs- morphine and codeine. however is also associated with illegal drug production- heroin

growing conditions

best suited for a warm, temperate climate which has cool winters and warm dry summers. well drained, fertile soils- often alluvial, moderate rainfall during early growth but dry conditions for harvesting. found in parts of south and central asia such as india, afghanistan and turkey. the plant is drought resistsnce but sensitive to excessive rainfall. has a short growing season of around 4

international trade

is traded for legal medicinal purpose and illegal drug production. the legal trade is tightly controlled by govs and used to produce medical drugs such as morphine and codeine. this is regulated under international law. the illegal trade= large amounts of opium grown illegally, especially in afghanistan which has produced over 80% of the world’s illegal opium in some past years. this generates large profits for criminal networks and contributes to political instability and conflict. the illegal trade generates bils of dollars annually, funding criminal networks. the legal trade contributes to national tax revenue and healthcare systems`

medicinal importance

the natural source of opiates: morphine- used for severe pain relief (cancer, major surgery) and codeine- used for moderate pain and cough suppression. also listed as essential medicines by WHO. they play a vital role in modern healthcare, especially in pain management and paaiative care. they are considered fundamental to a functioning healthcare system however there is a global imbalance with many LIDCs lacking access to medical opiates

sustainable use

some opiate drugs can be synthesised, or semi synthesised but natural opium poppy cultivation is still required for many medicines

sustainable use is challenging due to: risk of illegal diversion into drug trafficking, environmental damage from unregulated cultivation, social and economic problems linked to illegal trade

countries such as india and turkey operate strictly licensed systems, where farmers grow poppies legally and sell the crop to the gov. this approach provides safe livelihoods for farmers, ensures medical supply of essential drugs and reduces illegal production. the sustainable use depends on gov regulation, international cooperation and alternative livelihods for farmers in illegal growing regions

in some cases the LIDCs grow the poppy yet the ACs benefit as they control drug processing and refinement, own pharmaceutical companies and sell the high value medicines. this creates an unequal value chain. some farmers receive low prices and lack access to processing= unequal benefit sharing. not quite biopiracy as it is more regulated but unequal profit distribution