Everyone these days is talking about “going green.” It’s good for the environment. Can it be good for medicine as well?
Drug manufacturers are willing to bet that it is. So what does this mean exactly? "More drug manufacturers are turning to natural substances as sources for new drugs, even though the road from plant to pill can be a bumpy one,” said industry executives at the BIO International conference in Boston, last year. “However, the big market potential for some of the new drugs makes it worth the effort. according to consensus. Drugs from natural substances, known as botanicals, that target Parkinson's disease, ALS—known as Lou Gehrig's disease—debilitating diarrhea, and pollen allergy, are expected on the market within about seven years.
And don’t think the huge pharmaceutical conglomerates aren’t fighting it. Not only are the new drugs made from ‘natural elements’, but using botanical drugs would drive up competition and dramatically lower drug costs for the consumer. What’s the catch? Botanical drugs are being developed contrary to many of the chemical engineering processes of past decades. Therefore, the years of documented safety studies are simply not there for these new drugs. Placebos, human trials, and so forth are just now being used in testing botanical treatments.
Imagine that:
- A drug made from plants that is just as good as already exiting drugs
- The cost reduction is dramatic
- The competition between giant drug companies would increase
I say it’s a win-win situation. Be on the lookout for the first botanical-based drugs to become available within seven years or less. Next time you take a walk through a grassy field, you may be walking on your future medication!