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Legal issues in sharing the benefits of biodiversity prospecting
1Office of Technology Development, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the US Government's principal agency for research on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A critical component of the Institute's mission is the identification and development of new and promising treatments for cancer and AIDS. For many years these efforts have included a program to investigate natural products for potential new therapeutic agents. In 1986, with the advent of new screening techniques, the National Cancer Institute stepped up its exploration of natural products and began world-wide collections of plants in tropical and subtropical regions. In recognition of the principles of the Biodiversity Treaty, NCI appreciates that continued access to the natural products of these countries depends on the Institute's ability to recognize the contributions of these source countries and their indigenous peoples, and to provide them adequate incentives to conserve their natural resources for the purposes of drug discovery. Accomplishing this goal presented several legal issues for the National Cancer Institute. As an agency of the US government, the NCI has an adjunct statutory mission to facilitate the transfer of technology developed through the Institute's programs into the private sector for further development and commercialization, and NCI operates under a national policy to use the patent system to transfer Federally supported research to the private domestic sector. Reliance on patent law may limit the Institute's ability to recognize the rights of source countries and their indigenous people and provide compensation for their contributions. However, other legal instruments, such as contracts, can serve as interim measures to provide compensation to source countries and indigenous populations. The National Cancer Institute's Letter of Collection agreement (LOC, formerly the "Letter of Intent'), is an example of an alternative means that "fills-in the gaps' created by patent law and through which source countries may share in the benefits of natural product development.
Insights
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) explores natural products for cancer and AIDS treatments. Legal agreements like the Letter of Collection (LOC) ensure fair benefit-sharing with source countries and indigenous peoples for bioprospecting efforts.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Natural Products Research
- Bioprospecting and Benefit-Sharing
- Intellectual Property Law in Research
Background:
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a leading US agency for cancer and AIDS research.
- NCI has a long-standing program investigating natural products for therapeutic potential.
- Exploration of natural products intensified in 1986 with advanced screening techniques and global plant collection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address legal challenges in recognizing source country and indigenous people's rights in natural product drug discovery.
- To ensure fair benefit-sharing and incentives for conservation of natural resources for bioprospecting.
- To explore alternative legal mechanisms beyond patent law for equitable compensation.
Main Methods:
- Review of NCI's natural product drug discovery programs and associated legal frameworks.
- Analysis of the limitations of patent law in addressing bioprospecting rights.
- Examination of alternative legal instruments, such as contracts, for benefit-sharing.
Main Results:
- Patent law may impede NCI's ability to acknowledge and compensate source countries and indigenous populations.
- Contractual agreements can serve as interim solutions for benefit-sharing.
- The NCI's Letter of Collection (LOC) agreement is an example of an alternative mechanism addressing these gaps.
Conclusions:
- Equitable access to natural products for drug discovery requires legal frameworks that recognize and reward source countries and indigenous communities.
- The Letter of Collection (LOC) agreement facilitates benefit-sharing, complementing patent law.
- Continued development of such legal instruments is crucial for sustainable bioprospecting and drug discovery.