Casestudy: Rosy periwinkle

Question 1

What country is rosy periwinkle native to?

Answer 1

Madagascar

Question 2

What growing conditions are necessary for rosy periwinkle?

Answer 2

• Warm, tropical climates without frost
• Soils need to be well-drained yet moisture retaining, and slightly acidic.

Question 3

What 2 alkaloids derived from rosy periwinkle are used in modern medicine today and how?

Answer 3

• Vincristine and vinblastine
• They are used in treating various cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Question 4

What has vincristine from rosy periwinkle helped childhood leukemia?

Answer 4

Since its discovery, it has increased survival rates from around 10% in 1970 to over 90% in the modern day.

Question 5

Why is rosy periwinkle, as a natural source, particularly important?

Answer 5

It is important as a natural source as scientists are currently unable to synthesize it’s alkaloid compounds artificially.
As a result, production relies on commercial cultivation in India, central Asia and Africa.

Question 6

What was the US pharmaceutical giant that developed vincristine and vinblastine from rosy periwinkle?

Answer 6

Eli Lilly.

Question 7

In terms of international trade, how much is vincristine and vinblastine worth annually to the company that developed them?

Answer 7

Hundreds of million dollars annually to Eli Lilly

Question 8

What is the complications in international trade of rosy periwinkle?

Answer 8

• Few profits from the medication produced are channeled back to Madagascar and the Indigenous
• This biopiracy deprives LIDCs of valuable international trade and potential exports - hindering economic growth that can tackle inequality.

Question 9

What word describes the exploitation of biological resources?

Answer 9

Biopiracy.