Disease Dilemma's - Case Study - Rosy Periwinkle - One medicinal plant

Question 1

What is Rosy Periwinkle used for? Where grown? Conditions for growth? (3)

Answer 1

1) Used in chemotheraphy to tackle leukemia and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

2) Madagascar in tropical climate

3) Warm tropical climate, slighlty acidic soil that is well drained and doesn’t like frost

Question 2

What are the two alkaloids found in the Rosy Periwinkle and what are they used for? Success? (2)

Answer 2

1) Vincristine = used in chemo to treat leukemia in kids (survival rates increased by 80 since 1970s%

2) Vinblastine = used in chemo to treat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Question 3

Company that discovered rosy periwinkle as a viable medicinal plant? When? Their major problem? (3)

Answer 3

1) Eli Lilly, a US pharamaceutical

2) 1960s

3) Rely on natural harvesting of periwinkle from Madagascar & Asia as can’t synthetically make the alkaloids in a lab

Question 4

What is biopiracy and how related to rosy periwinkle?

Answer 4

1) Exploiting medicinal plants from natural environment without compensating the communities that the plants are from

2) Eli Lilly exploited the medical knowledge of Madagascaran people who used rosy periwinkle as medicinal plant for years without compensating them sufficiently (i.e Eli Lilly made $6b profit last year as a company)