Rosy Periwinkle

• Common in many tropical and sub-tropical regions
• Used in treatment of wasp stings in India and treatment of diabetes in China and the Philippines
• Contains 70 known alkaloids, and some are used to treat cancer
• Vincristine is used in chemotherapy in childhood leukaemia and has helped increase survival rates from around 10% in 1970 to over 90% today
• It is a valuable resource because scientists cannot synthesise the alkaloids, so production of the drugs relies on commercial cultivation
• It is a valuable resource because global sales of vincristine and vinblastine are worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Eli Lilly, the US pharmaceutical giant that developed them
• Biopiracy (exploitation of biological resources) can occur, depriving LIDCs such as Madagascar of valuable international trade, and this therefore hinders economic growth and progress in tackling poverty and inequality
• Some pharmaceutical companies are trying to work with indigenous healers to spread the profits more equitably