QDIS Blog

Since I try and spend a week each year in Hawaii for a vacation and I have some friends and fellow podcasters there, I always keep my eyes open to what may be happening there in terms of biotech companies.

Ruling hailed by opponents of genetically altered crops

In a nut shell, a federal judge ruled that the US agriculture officials cut corners and violated some environmental laws by allowing permits for genetically modified crops meant for producing drugs. The islands involved are Kauai, Maui, and Molokai and the laws involved are the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act . The primary problem was that no preliminary environmental review occurred before the permits were issued. This has been in the courts for more than two years now and potentially has impact beyond Hawaii to all GM permits issued throughout the US.

Now, I am one of the first to state that I support the use of GM crops to make drugs but I also believe that all the processes and procedures need to be followed and that concerns for locals needs to be clearly and straight forwardly addressed. I also agree that we need to be cautious as there is always the law of unintended consequences. I also know Hawaii is a fragile environment and can be easily disrupted by introducing non-native animals and plants. Feral pigs on Kauai are an example; they root out endangered plants and destroy habitat for other animals found only in Hawaii.

I see again the polarization of this issue by the both sides and it seems no one is willing to be reasonable and look at the facts and concerns. Each side only wants what best for themselves and chooses to ignore arguments from the other side. I have also seen in the past exaggerations on both sides that do not fit scientific facts.

The companies involved are:

1. ProdiGene (web page no longer available; here is the last home page from the Internet Archives)
2. Monsanto
3. Hawaii Agriculture Research Center
4. Garst Seed

It should be pointed out that no one is currently biopharming or growing crops to produce drugs in Hawaii and that all of the above companies currently have any crops planted.

Also, all parties are order to appear in court next week (Aug 22) to discuss remedies. This will be an interesting case to keep an eye on to see what remedies are agreed to.

Other resources

• Officials cut corners on biotech permits

• First Ever Federal Court Ruling on Controversial Drug-Producing GE Crops Manufactured by Monsanto and Others - Yahoo! News
• Copy of the court ruling (pdf)

• USDA Inspector General’s report (pdf)

• Yahoo! News Search Results for Hawaii biotech permits

• USDA - APHIS (US Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)

Technorati Tags: biopharming, biotech crops, genetically modified crops, GM crops, hawaii

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Gilead and Merck will be distributing the new AIDS drug Atripla, a drug drug combination in a once-a-day pill, to developing countries.

Gilead, Merck to distribute combination AIDS pill | Reuters.com

One interesting fact is that the pills for developing countries are white whereas those for US and Europe are salmon colored. While this article doesn’t state why, it is most likely to prevent cheaper version from developing countries from make their way into the US and Europe.

The major take home fact here is that there is now a single, once-a-day pill which replaces a regime of taking dozens of pills and tablets at specified times through out the day. This is especially important in developing countries where obtaining drinking water is difficult. Also, not having to take the drugs on a schedule makes compliance much easier. It should be kept in mind that one of the most serious issues confronting AIDS is the virus developing resistance to known drugs.

Technorati Tags: aids drugs, HIV drugs

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