PERUVIAN 'PIRACY'

Inside Bay Area reports that the Peruvian Government is considering legal action against PureWorld Botanicals, a US company which, since 2001, has held the patent for isolating and distributing an active compound derived from maca, a plant believed to have aphrodisiac qualities. The Peruvians are unhappy because Peru’s Quechua Indians have grown the plant for these purposes for hundreds of years. Peru has called this an ‘emblematic case’ of biopiracy, but PureWorld’s chief scientist retorts “After we studied it, put money into the research, (maca) has become a useful commodity”.

The IPKat is somewhat ambivalent on this issue. He can understand the emotional appeal of the Peruvian argument, but at the same time, he doubts whether the Quechua Indians would have the resources to exploit the plant in a way that would bring its benefits to a wider audience.