NATURAL PRODUCT DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT - NEW PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Until recently, the prevailing attitude in developed nations regarded the world's genetic resources, which are mainly concentrated in the de veloping world, as a common resource of humankind, to be exploited fre ely irrespective of national origin. With the devastation being wreake d in the tropical rainforests and the resurgence in interest in recent years in the discovery of novel drugs from natural sources, particula rly plants and marine organisms, the international scientific communit y has realized that the conservation of these global genetic resources and the indigenous knowledge associated with their use are of primary importance if their potential is to be fully explored. With this real ization has come a recognition that these goals must be achieved throu gh collaboration with, and fair and equitable compensation of, the sci entists and communities of the genetically rich source countries. The signing of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity by ne arly all of the world's nations has emphasized the need for the implem entation of such policies. In this review, the articles of the Convent ion of relevance to the activities and practices of the natural produc ts scientific community are briefly discussed. This discussion is foll owed by a summary of policies for international collaboration and comp ensation being implemented by several developed country organizations, and the perspectives on the current developments given by representat ives of some of the source countries located in the regions of greates t biodiversity.