THE HEADLINES were arresting. “Improbable that company bought stolen forest item; cases quashed,” said a leading newspaper in Mumbai. “Cancer drug camptothecin not forest produce—Bombay High Court quashes cases against pharma company after 16 years,” proclaimed a well-known legal website in early January. Other publications had similar reports exonerating Fresenius Kabi Oncology, the Indian offshoot of German multinational Fresenius Kabi, of any wrongdoing in the purchase of camptothecin, which is used to make cancer drugs. The case is actually 18 years old—it was initiated in 2005—and illustrates why India’s rich biodiversity is depleting ever faster.
This story starts with a moderate-sized tree, Mappia foetida, known locally known as narkya or amruta, which is found in the Western Ghats. It grows to a height of 4-10 metres and is characterised by a fetid smell. Once, it was found abundantly, but today, narkya is a threatened species because it is an important medicinal plant, much in demand for its anti-cancer properties. The alkaloid camptothecin (CPT), extracted from the wood chips of the trees, is an essential component of chemotherapy and narkya is said to be the most promising source for large-scale production of cpt.
Denne historien er fra January 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra January 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
