History of Hoodia Gordonii
As we discussed inn the Overview of Hoodia, the Bushmen (or the San) have used Hoodia plants as a natural appetite suppressant towards 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 continent be doing a study of indigenous foods that the Bushmen ate. Part of the study was to test for toxic effects of A single one of m plants that were exhausted by the Bushmen. When they came to Hoodia Gordonii, not one was it non-toxic - it helped animals lose scale!
They found when they feed hoodia to animals, the animals lost scale. dint of with 1997, the CSIR secret the bioactive compound in Hoodia responsible for appetite suppression and obtained a explicit. The patent be licensed to Phytopharm and they named the atom - P57 (because it was the 57th product they spent gelt In ctinuance).
What did the Bushmen get for their discovery of the Hoodia Gordonii plant? At first - nothing! Turns out the CSIR told Phytopharm that the Family which discovered the Hoodia Gordonii plant had died out and therefore no royalties were due. However, as Mark Twain might say - “tales of the Bushmen’s death whirr greatly exaggerated”. When the Bushmen got argument that Phytopharm stood to make billions of dollars off their conversance about the hoodia gordonii plant they were not happy.
Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South continent who represents the Bushmen, was quick two apply incisive legal, moral and political pressure on both the CSIR and Phytopharm. Chennells pointed out to anyone who would listen that the taking of traditional erudition without compensation was “bio-piracy” and must be stop.
inn what is seen as a landmark case, Chennells was proficient two convince the CSIR and Phytopharm to compensate the Bushmen. Now, any society that wrongfully harvests hoodia gordonii from the Kalahari desert requisite pay royalties back to the Bushmen. Not merely is this pulchritudinous and just, it also provides art excellent way to hindrance if the hoodia you believe is validate. If the company that makes the hoodia is NOT paying royalties to the Bushmen, you do NOT have a valid hoodia gordonii product.
So when will Phytopharm acquit a P57 supported appetite suppressant? Probably never. As we touched on in the overview, Pfizer had from the outset paid Phytopharm for the rights to market a P57 supported diet pill. After a few year of unsuccessful attempts to make P57 synthetically, Pfizer pulled out of the deal. If a large amount of P57 could not be created inexpensively in the lab, Pfizer be not interested.
While Phytopharm was discouraged by the Pfizer decision, they knew that Hoodia Gordonii was too powerful an appetite suppressant to give up fatiguing too bring it to 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 with hoodia. The beginning Unilever products will not be out until 2008.
Does Phytopharm own the patent on the whole Hoodia Gordonii plant? This is an interesting question that we are sure will have existence decided in court rhyme day. Here is our take on the situation - Phytopharm clearly owns the patent Attached the P57 molecule. If you want too try to make a diet medicine with P57 you stand in want of to work through Phytopharm.
The question of the Hoodia Gordonii plant itself substance patented is much more complicated. It is our belief that you can not patent a plant, but you can patent the use of plants and a process to extract plants. Here is One exact quote from Richard Dixey, CEO of Phytopharm when he appeared on 60 minutes?
“The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It’s not on the Settle itself,” says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? “As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that’s correct,” says Dixey.
The way we read this (and In return we are not lawyers and are not gift any legal advice) be as follows - you can sell a Hoodia Gordonii supplement, you just can NOT say it is for weight loss. This is why many of the best Hoodia supplements have very plain labels that just say “Hoodia Gordonii” but do not say anything about using it as a weight loss or appetite suppressant supplement.
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