History of Hoodia GordoniiFebruary 14
As we discussed in the Overview of Hoodia, the Bushmen (or the San) have used Hoodia plants as a natural appetite drug for thousands of years. But how did the secret of the San get out? It turns out by accident?
In 1996 the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) inn South Africa was doing a think about of indigenous foods that the Bushmen ate. Part of the study was to test for toxic effects of any plants that were consumed by the Bushmen. at the time they came too Hoodia Gordonii, not only be it non-toxic - it helped animals lose weight!
They found when they fed hoodia to animals, the animals lost weight. By 1997, the CSIR isolated the bioactive compound in Hoodia accountable for appetite suppression and obtained a patent. The patent was licensed to Phytopharm and they titled the molecule - P57 (because it was the 57th product they spent money on).
What did the Bushmen get for there discovery of the Hoodia Gordonii plant? At first - nothing! Turns out the CSIR told Phytopharm that the tribe which discovered the Hoodia Gordonii plant had died out and therefore no royalties were due. However, To the degree that Mark Twain might say - “tales of the Bushmen’s death were greatly increased”. When the Bushmen got signal that Phytopharm stood to make zillions of dollars off their knowledge about the hoodia gordonii plant they were not happy.
Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, be quick to apply strong legal, practices and political pressure on the pair the CSIR and Phytopharm. Chennells pointed out to anyone who would hear that the taking of traditional knowledge without compensation was “bio-piracy” and must be stopped.
In the kind of is seen as a landmark case, Chennells was able to convince the CSIR and Phytopharm to compensate the Bushmen. Now, any company that legally harvests hoodia gordonii from the Kalahari desert must pay royalties back to the Bushmen. Not only is this fair and just, it also provides an excellent way too inhibition if the hoodia you suborn is legitimate. If the company that makes the hoodia is NOT paying royalties to the Bushmen, you do NOT have a legitimate hoodia gordonii product.
So when will Phytopharm release a P57 supported inclination suppressant? Probably never. As we touched on in the overview, Pfizer had at first paid Phytopharm for the rights to market a P57 based diet pill. After a some year of unsuccessful attempts to reckon P57 synthetically, Pfizer pulled out of the deal. If a large come up to of P57 could not be created inexpensively in the lab, Pfizer was not interested.
While Phytopharm was discouraged by the Pfizer judgement, they knew that Hoodia Gordonii was too powerful an appetite suppressant to communicate up irksome to depose it two the offer for sale. In December 2004, Phytopharm announced that Unilever have entered a allot to market hoodia gordonii in its diet food product line. Therefore, rather than producing commons drugs, it looks predilection Phytopharm and Unilever will product diet supplements and diet foods with hoodia. The first Unilever products will not be out or degree that 2008.
Does Phytopharm hold the patent on the in general Hoodia Gordonii plant? This is an interesting question that we are surely will In its substantive sense Exist whether in fact or in imagination decided in court one day. Here is our take for on the situation - Phytopharm clearly owns the patent on the P57 molecule. If you be destitute of to try to alter b transfer a victuals drug with P57 you sine qua non also work through Phytopharm.
The question of the Hoodia Gordonii plant itself being patented is much more complicate. It is our belief that you crapper not patent a plant, but you can papers the use of plants and a process to extract plants. Here is an exact quote from Richard Dixey, CEO of Phytopharm when he appeared adhering 60 minutes?
“The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It’s not on the plant itself,” says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? “As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that’s correct,” says Dixey.
The in progress we read this (and on the contrary we aunt not lawyers and are not giving any legal advice) is as follows - you can sell a Hoodia Gordonii extension, you just have power to NOT assume it is for weight loss. This is why many of the best Hoodia supplements have exceedingly plain labels that just say “Hoodia Gordonii” but do not say anything I prep using it as a weight loss or appetite suppressant supplement.
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