PHM-Exch> PHM concern about new snthetic-biology-based anti-malarial?

[Jeff Conant]

Greetings PHM -- I'm writing to see if I can stimulate some concern or
conversation about today's announcement of a new anti-malarial drug that
mimics natural artemisinin. The announcement is here:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/04/11/launch-of-antimalarial-drug-a-triumph-for-uc-berkeley-synthetic-biology/

The concern that I think PHM would want to weigh in on, is threefold: 1)
that this new drug, being marketed by Sanofi, is produced using a new
biotech process based in the genetic modification of microbes that are
designed to 'excrete' substances such as the active ingredient in
artemisia, 2) that the currently decentralized production of artemsisin
will be captured entirely by a single company that owns the means of
production, and 3) that this new production will replace the entire global
production, which will put some  5500 farmers in East Africa out of work.
The media is already announcing this as a great humanitarian advance, but
it has real social justice implications.
I am at Friends of the Earth and am working on a press statement about this
with a number of groups critical of synthetic biology. I wonder if PHM has
looked at this, if any PHM'ers would want to weigh in, and if there are any
experts on generic drugs, WHO drug approval, malaria, ectetera, who would
be able to provide some expertise and make some public statements on this?
Thanks much!
- Jeff Conant

-- 
Jeff Conant
Skype: jeffconant
Web/Blog: http://climate-connections.org/
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