A slate of natural pharmaceutical products are in the works.
When it comes to nutritional supplements, most people equate “natural” to mean “good” and “safe,” but that’s not entirely true. The natural substance Ephedra, for instance, can be deadly. Still, the perception is based on somewhat-sound logic: if it’s found in natural substances, how could it be bad? The key really isn’t whether it’s natural or not, exclusively, but whether it has lots of safety data behind it, and/or is part of a natural process and/or meets a dietary need. The following products in development should be safe and effective.
The term for these natural pharmaceuticals is sometimes referred to as “nutraceuticals” or sometimes just pharmaceuticals, depending on how the company markets its products.
Quigley Pharma, the parent company of the maker of Cold-Eeze, is developing pharmaceutical-grade (prescription) products for a wide range of indications, based on naturally occurring substances.
Amazon Biotech has “an 11 natural plant pharmaceutical drug” which is intended to bolster the patient’s immune system greatly, as well as fight off the HIV virus itself. They also note it can fight any immune deficiency or host pathogens, such as chemotherapy or Lyme disease, respectively.
Aphios Corporation is making anti-infectives, anti-cancer/CNS, and their regular nutraceutical drugs (dietary supplements). Most of their compounds are from marine life, interestingly.
Nutra Pharma Corporation, is developing “bioactive peptides in cobra venom for use in the treatment of HIV and MS,” of all weird things.
Novogen is working with plant-based (isoflavonoid) pharmaceuticals for, eventually, the following: Cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Phew: that’s a staggering list.
Phynova is also developing anti-cancer, anti-viral, and even anti-obesity drugs by “harnessing the therapeutic power of plants.”
There is beginning to be a blur between “traditional” pharmaceutical companies and the often-seen-as “alternative” natural companies, and I for one welcome such a blur. I think it reflects a new approach towards health that hopefully will be safer and perhaps less expensive, too.
Biotech,
Have you had any experience taking these kinds of compounds?
I used to work with a Homeopathic MD who prescribed, upon the first indication of a cold symptom, a combination of Vitamin C with Echinacea. The instructions were to keep taking it until the symptoms went away. It didn’t mean that the cold would NOT occur, but, as shown in the Cold-Eeze ad, the duration of the cold was cut.
Have you ever done any research in the area of Homeopathy? That’s a whole other type of drugstore!
szovich
October 6, 2006
This is a wonderful and informative post. I think that people need to be well informed when taking natural supplements; not only about what is in the supplement but also how it can react to other medication they are taking. Someone very dear to me had a double lung transplant three years ago and is not allowed to take supplement unless the doctor approves. Supplements such as St Johns Wart have been known to interfere with the anti-rejection medication.
nweber
October 6, 2006
I have no problem with homeopathy–in fact I employ many of its approaches–but the fact remains that a large number of even natural compounds are limited to anecdotal data. I don’t blame homeopathy for its limitation here; large-scale drug studies are very, very expensive, and largely initiated only by drug companies with specific goals of gaining approval of some money-making compound.
Universities, in fact, are seeming to emerge as champions of homeopathy, and as this post itself relates, there is a confluence now, though slowly emerging, between pharma and the natural world.
One of the most successful homeopathic supplements I take is 5-HTP, which I take for depression. Perhaps I should do a post about depression in the near future.
stephendonner
October 6, 2006