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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Mining MP-Drugs from Indigenous Medical Wisdom: Normative Issues and Alternatives
Author:Debrezion, ZerisenayISNI
Year:2004
Periodical:Journal of Eritrean Studies (Asmara)
Volume:3
Issue:2
Period:December
Pages:75-93
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Eritrea
Northeast Africa
Subjects:indigenous knowledge
patents
traditional medicine
medicinal drugs
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Health and Nutrition
Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment
Medicine, Nutrition, Public Health
Traditional medicine
Alternative medicine
Traditional ecological knowledge
Abstract:This paper deals with normative issues associated with the intended use of indigenous knowledge in general and indigenous medicinal know-how by the University of Asmara (Eritrea) and the Medicinal Plants and Drug Discovery Research Centre (MPDDRC) in particular. More specifically, the paper addresses matters related to efficacy of the planned hunt for MP-drugs (drugs based on herbal/medicinal plants) and ethical considerations in the use of traditional medical knowledge by MPDDRC. MPDDRC's initiatives, though laudable, are based on a quaking normative foundation, both at the institutional and national levels. The paper appraises the contractual and proprietary normative models, which are generally employed in the protection of products of the intellect in the contemporary discourse on intellectual property law, both at the institutional and national levels. The proprietary model is found to be the desirable normative regime at the national level. Similarly, the contractual model, if supplemented with the requisite institutional patronage, such as the establishment of traditional medical practitioners associations, research ethics guidelines, inclusive of intellectual property matters of concern to traditional knowledge, and a research ethics board, could be fittingly adopted at the institutional level. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]