Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
www.cmaq.net/node/4834
Africa defies licences for life
No country is self-sufficient in biodiversity. The WTO is seeking an appropriate legal framework to encourage trade. But appropriate for whom? There's the rub. The intellectual property system, which champions the breeders' interests, is becoming an instrument of neo-colonialism. The Organisation of African Unity, offering an alternative that is in the public interest as well as its own, has taken the lead in new thinking about the exploitation of life.
by FRANCK SEURET and ROBERT ALI BRAC DE LA PERRIÈRE
This is a story of sugar that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. A story of patents and piracy. In 1995 the university of Wisconsin took out four patents on brazzein, an extremely sweet tasting protein that researchers had isolated from the berry of a plant growing in Gabon. The university has since granted licences to exploit the patents to several biotechnology companies that hope to introduce a brazzein-producing gene into fruit and vegetables to obtain products that taste sweet but are less rich in calories. There are big profits in this, though not for small farmers in Gabon. They know all about the plant, they have always used it and their way of life and farming practices have helped to ensure its survival. But they will get nothing at all out of the plans to exploit it.
The case of brazzein is by no means unusual. Every year, firms and universities in the countries of the North take out patents on plants such as addiction fighting tabernanthe iboga, grown & used in the Sub Saharan countries, without the consent of the parties concerned and without offering any financial consideration in return. To put an end to this biological piracy, the Scientific, Technical and Research Commission of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has just produced model legislation for the recognition and protection of local communities, farmers and breeders, and for the regulation of access to genetic resources.
Would somebody please direct me to the Iboga benefit sharing discussion?
www.cmaq.net/node/4834
Africa defies licences for life
No country is self-sufficient in biodiversity. The WTO is seeking an appropriate legal framework to encourage trade. But appropriate for whom? There's the rub. The intellectual property system, which champions the breeders' interests, is becoming an instrument of neo-colonialism. The Organisation of African Unity, offering an alternative that is in the public interest as well as its own, has taken the lead in new thinking about the exploitation of life.
by FRANCK SEURET and ROBERT ALI BRAC DE LA PERRIÈRE
This is a story of sugar that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. A story of patents and piracy. In 1995 the university of Wisconsin took out four patents on brazzein, an extremely sweet tasting protein that researchers had isolated from the berry of a plant growing in Gabon. The university has since granted licences to exploit the patents to several biotechnology companies that hope to introduce a brazzein-producing gene into fruit and vegetables to obtain products that taste sweet but are less rich in calories. There are big profits in this, though not for small farmers in Gabon. They know all about the plant, they have always used it and their way of life and farming practices have helped to ensure its survival. But they will get nothing at all out of the plans to exploit it.
The case of brazzein is by no means unusual. Every year, firms and universities in the countries of the North take out patents on plants such as addiction fighting tabernanthe iboga, grown & used in the Sub Saharan countries, without the consent of the parties concerned and without offering any financial consideration in return. To put an end to this biological piracy, the Scientific, Technical and Research Commission of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has just produced model legislation for the recognition and protection of local communities, farmers and breeders, and for the regulation of access to genetic resources.
Would somebody please direct me to the Iboga benefit sharing discussion?
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Boston
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Re: Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
Thu, May 8, 2008 - 11:24 AMIboga benefit sharing discussion?
Nothing on the ibogaine list, sorry.
How about you Simon? Where's the iboga benefit sharing discussion? -
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Re: Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
Thu, May 8, 2008 - 4:22 PMWell what has the post here to do with iboga and this is a general forum I have spoken my point of view on the matter already and made that quite clear; I dont see anything further to add as far as iboga goes. Naturally what is cultivated and is sold goes to the farmers or cultivaters we are not talking about people going into the wild and poaching a limited resourse or did you not get that. I am generally here to help people who need the benafits of iboga if it is possible and in my capacity. So; not of your recent posts or jibes really interest me beyond mild entertainment. -
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Re: Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
Thu, May 8, 2008 - 4:50 PMI smell blood. What has the post here to do with iboga and this is a general forum? EVERYTHING! Go tell that to your 'higher-ups'.
"Drug Addiction Treatment from Iboga -- Out of Central and West Africa For a very long time, Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) has been used in Central and West Africa. In low doses, the plant serves as a stimulant to maintain alertness, for example, while hunting. In larger doses, it is a hallucinogen, traditionally used for religious purposes by ngangas and in initiation rites,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."
"In more recent years, Iboga (also spelled Eboga or Eboka) has come to be used as a (non-addictive) recreational drug by a small number of people in Europe and North America. This experimentation, while frequently illegal, has led to interest in iboga by drug addiction researchers. Iboga reportedly has the effect of ending cravings for addictive substances, both illegal (such as heroin) and legal (such as nicotine). Patents on this kind of use for iboga stretch back to 1985 (US 4,499,096).
Today, there is a burgeoning scientific literature about iboga, fueled by researchers who experiment with iboga and iboga-like compounds and try to more precisely elucidate iboga’s biochemical effects on the brain.In the United States, where iboga is listed as one of the most illegal narcotics, there are treatment centers which illicitly use iboga to cure heroin addicts and other drug users of their addiction. In other jurisdictions, therapeutic use of iboga is legal. Clearly, there is growing interest in the apparently miraculous ability of iboga to cure some drug addictions. Iboga is gaining scientific respectability and may, in short order, become a hot pharmaceutical property,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."
"I could find no discussion of benefit sharing related to iboga,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."
"Patent applications on iboga have been made very recently by Myriad Genetics and by Washington University, one of the most prominent biomedical research campuses in the US,(McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')."
Here is a selection of iboga patents and patent applications filed in the last decade:US Patent or Application Number Title Owner/ Inventor Comment Application20050288375,published 29 Dec 2005 Method and composition for treating neurodegenerative disorders Myriad Genetics,Salt Lake City,UT, US Claims ibogaine (and other compounds) used with an NSAID “for treating and preventing neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment.”Application 20050222270,published 6 Oct2005, and patent5,958,919, issued28 Sep 1999, and others Prolonged administration of NMDA antagonist drugand safener drug to createimproved stable neuralhomeostasis Washington University, St.Louis, MO, USUse of ibogaine to enhance safety ina technique to “ease problems suchas addictions to illegal or pain-killing drugs, nicotine, or alcohol,compulsive or criminal behavioral problems, severe depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders,phobias, etc.”Patent 6,416,793,issued 9 Jul 2002 Formulations and use of controlled-release indole alkaloids BioResponse,LLC, Boulder,CO. USIbogaine (and yohimbe) formulations with enhanced absorption by the body Patent 6,348,456,issued 19 Feb2002, and Application 20030153552,published 14 Aug 2003 Method of treating chemical dependency in mammals and a composition there for Mash; DeborahC. (University ofMiami professor)and co-inventors Claims noribogaine, a variant of ibogaine suitable for pharmaceuticals, and its use to treat addition to “heroin, cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, opium, methadone, hycodan, morphine and caffeine, (McGown,Jay, 'Out of Africa')."
"Patent 6,211,360,issued 3 April 2001 Ibogamine cogeners Albany Medical College (Albany,NY, US) and the University of Vermont (US).Ibogamine-derived compounds for treating drug addiction Patent 5,616,575,issued 1 Apr 1997 Bioactive tricyclic ibogaine analogs University of Minnesota, US and University of Miami, US Ibogamine-derived compounds for treating drug addiction, (McGown, Jay, 'Out of Africa')." -
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Re: Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
Thu, May 8, 2008 - 5:13 PMhas there been any recent developments?
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Re: Brazzein, Bio-Tech, Iboga & Benefit Sharing in Gabon.
Fri, May 9, 2008 - 2:55 AMLet's get something straight. Simon isn't exploiting iboga. In fact, he's one of the few people that I'm aware of who's actually supporting any type of benefit sharing in a practical sense. See his recent posts with regard to the program that's being set up by Mikodio.
I agree, there should be some type of benefit sharing. But unfortunately, one cannot expect big pharma to hold itself accountable. That has never happened and will in all likelihood never happen.
> The Organisation of African Unity, offering an alternative that is in the public interest as well as its own, has taken the lead in new thinking about the exploitation of life.
Well, that's very good! A very positive development indeed! I hope this actually goes somewhere. Now let's see how the WTO is going to 'react' ...
