Swartzia madagascariensis
In September 2000, the Berne Declaration, the Association of Traditional Healers, and Zimbabwe’s CTDA filed a joint biopiracy suit against the University of Lausanne.
A professor at this university had received genetic resources from the University in Harare and, contrary to their agreement, proceeded to file a patent request for a remedy against athlete’s foot based on Swartzia madagascariensis.
The authorities from Zimbabwe, it turned out, had not been notified of the transfer of genetic resources as required under the CBD. At a meeting the parties eventually decided to renegotiate the terms of access and benefit sharing. Negative results from clinical trials eventually occasioned the University of Lausanne to drop the project and the patent request.
A professor at this university had received genetic resources from the University in Harare and, contrary to their agreement, proceeded to file a patent request for a remedy against athlete’s foot based on Swartzia madagascariensis.
The authorities from Zimbabwe, it turned out, had not been notified of the transfer of genetic resources as required under the CBD. At a meeting the parties eventually decided to renegotiate the terms of access and benefit sharing. Negative results from clinical trials eventually occasioned the University of Lausanne to drop the project and the patent request.
| 28.02.01 | Government and University of Zimbabwe determinded to stop biopiracy by swiss University Initiated by Berne Declaration (Switzerland) and Community Technology Development Trust of Zimbabwe a meeting was held on February 16, 2001, at the University of... more |
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| 22.09.00 | NGOs condemn Biopiracy by Swiss University NGOs in Zimbabwe and Switzerland condemn the way by which the University of Lausanne gained access to genetic resources in Zimbabwe and the way the benefit sharing... more |
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