Home  Access & Benefit Sharing  The Project  Publications  Events  Links  Contact		The Madagascar Periwinkle The Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), native to Madagascar, was spread to India and the rest of the tropics several centuries ago, due not least to its many therapeutic uses in folk medicine, to treat diabetes and other illnesses. Then, in the 1950s, North American researchers discovered that the plant also contains powerful anti-cancer agents. In 1963, the pharmaceutical major Eli Lilly and Company introduced the drug Oncovin® as a cure for childhood leukemia. This increased survival rates from below 20% to more than 80%. Oncovin® and several other important drugs developed from the Madagascar Periwinkle have generated billions of USD income to the manufacturers – and yet, no royalties or compensations have been paid to Madagascar, India or other source countries.		Related page About ABS
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