History of Hoodia GordoniiFebruary 15
As we discussed in the Overview of Hoodia, the Bushmen (or the San) have habituated to Hoodia plants as a natural appetite suppressant 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) in South Africa was doing a study of indigenous foods that the Bushmen ate. Part of the learning was to test for cyanogenic furniture of any plants that be consumed by the Bushmen. When they came to Hoodia Gordonii, not only was it non-toxic - it helped animals lose weight!
They found when they FRS hoodia to animals, the animals destroyed weight. By 1997, the CSIR isolated the bioactive compound inn Hoodia responsible for appetite suppression and obtained a patent. The patent was licensed to Phytopharm and they named the ultimate particle - P57 (because it was the 57th product they spent money on).
What Be enough the Bushmen get for their discovery of the Hoodia Gordonii breed? At first - nothing! Turns out the CSIR tolled Phytopharm that the tribe which discovered the Hoodia Gordonii plant had died out and for that no royalties were due. However, conj Mark Twain might say - “tales of the Bushmen’s death were greatly increased”. When the Bushmen got word that Phytopharm stood to make billions of dollars off their attainments about the hoodia gordonii works they were not happy.
Roger Chennells, a mouthpiece in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, was quick to apply strong legal, moral and political pressure up the body Preceding a word or phrase which be followed by and the CSIR and Phytopharm. Chennells pointed out to anyone who would listen that the taking of customary knowledge without compensation be “bio-piracy” and must be stopped.
In what is seen as a landmark event, Chennells was able two talk into the CSIR and Phytopharm to compensate the Bushmen. Now, any company that legally harvests hoodia gordonii from the Kalahari desert must liquidate royalties back to the Bushmen. Not only is this fair and just, it also provides y excellent way to check if the hoodia you buy is legitimate. If the company that makes the hoodia is NOT paying royalties to the Bushmen, you do NOT bring forth a legitimate hoodia gordonii product.
So when will Phytopharm release a P57 based appetite suppressant? Probably never. As we touched in continuance in the overview, Pfizer had originally paid Phytopharm for the rights to market a P57 based diet pill. After a few year of unsuccessful attempts to impute P57 synthetically, Pfizer pulled outdoors of the distribution. If a large Aggregate of P57 could not be created inexpensively in the lab, Pfizer have existence not interested.
While Phytopharm was discouraged by the Pfizer decision, they knew that Hoodia Gordonii was too powerful an appetite suppressant too give up trying to bring it two the market. In December 2004, Phytopharm announced that Unilever had entered a deal to market hoodia gordonii in its diet food product line. Therefore, rather than producing diet drugs, it looks like Phytopharm and Unilever will product diet supplements and diet foods prep hoodia. The first Unilever products will not be out until 2008.
Does Phytopharm have the patent on the whole Hoodia Gordonii plant? This is an absorbing question that we are sure direct be decided in court one day. Here is our take on the situation - Phytopharm incontestably owns the patent on the P57 molecule. If you want to try to make a diet drug with P57 you shortage to Act through Phytopharm.
The question of the Hoodia Gordonii plant itself creature patented is much more complicated. It is our belief that you can not patent a plant, nevertheless you can patent the use of plants and a process to extract plants. Here is an exact quote from Richard Dixey, CEO of Phytopharm when he appeared on 60 minutes?
“The patent is on the go after of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the furnish inhabitants to. It’s not on the plant itself,” says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? “As a weight-management output without infringing the patent, that’s correct,” says Dixey.
The way we interpret this (and again we are not lawyers and are not giving any legal advice) is ad follows - you can deal in a Hoodia Gordonii supplement, you just can NOT say it is for weight impoverishment. This is why many of the best Hoodia supplements have very plain labels that just say “Hoodia Gordonii” but do not say anything alongside using it as a weight failure or appetite suppressant supplement.
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