NOT many people know that the lowly Philippine snail (Conus magnus) contains a toxin called SNX 111, a painkiller said to be 1,000 times more effective than morphine.

But the Philippines has lost this rare medicinal find.

Neurex Inc., a US multinational pharmaceutical firm, reportedly with the help of scientists from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute and the University of Utah, now owns the Philippine snail. The snail bears the US patent numbers 5-189-020, 5-559-095, and 5-587-454.

According to World Intellectual Property Organization, Neurex already spent US$80 million in preparation for the launching of the new painkiller.  Warner Lambert, one of the world’s major international pharmaceutical companies which has a sales worth of almost US$6 billion, has reportedly entered into a marketing deal with Neurex to sell the drug.

There have been several incidents of biopiracy or the theft of bio-specimens from Philippine soils and the patenting of these soils and the patenting of these abroad.

The most recent incident was the January 28 confiscation of three sacks and one box of plant specimens believed to contain medicinal values from three French scientists from the French National Museum of Natural History.

The scientists collected the plants from Barangay Tara, Cogon, Palawan, and were reportedly accompanied by two officials from the Philippine National Museum.

The hoard was not covered by a collection permit from the local DENR office or the PAWB.  There was also no endorsement from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD).

To ensure that such incidents would not be repeated, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonio Cerilles recently warned all 105 Protected Areas Management Boards (PAMB) in the country to strictly enforce the “no permit, no collection” policy of the DENR and arrest those caught without the required permits.

Under Republic Act 7586 and Executive Order 247, those who collect or research on the country’s biological specimens should first submit a project proposal to the PAMB that has jurisdiction over the protected area.

Cerilles stressed that a permit must also be secured from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) before any study or harvesting can be made.

He added that the proposal should discuss in detail the purpose, mechanics and extent of the study.  These will be the bases whether or not the concerned PAMB would issue the permit.
Cerilles reminded the PAMBs to strictly regulate the harvesting of bio-specimens in protected areas because “we have already lost some of them to biopirates.”

“Through biopiracy, these firms and foreign governments secretly work with scientists within victim nations. They patent and map chromosomes of genetic resources without informing, consulting and duly compensating the sources,” he added.

Under Section 21 of RA 7586 penalties for unauthorized possession or disturbing of any plants or animals from PAMB-covered areas without clearance from PAWB include one to six years imprisonment and payment of fines ranging from P5,000 to P500,000.

Although the DENR takes pride in initiating moves to curb incidents of biopiracy, concerned groups lamented that it would not bring back the rare bio-specimens which the country could no longer recover from the foreign bio-pirates.

Among the lost specimens are the ilosone soil in Iloilo province which produces the antibiotic erythromycin and the Philippine yew (Taxus matrana) found in the Mount Pulag in Benguet province which is reported to have great potential in treating cancer. The ilosone soil was collected by an American company Eli Lilly while the Philippine yew was uprooted from the national park and patented with the help of researchers from the University of Massachusetts.

Other local bio-specimens already patented abroad are the ampalaya (Mamantia mordica) and talong (Solanum melongena) believed to have potentials in curing thrombosis (blood clotting) and the human immuno deficiency syndrome virus (HIV) which causes AIDS.*
 

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