Hobbies And Interests
Health Benefits
The goal of biopharming is to genetically engineer plants to produce proteins that will enable the manufacture of large quantities of medicine. By lowering production costs, companies will be able to offer medicine to a greater number of people at a lower cost. Some of these medicines, such as those used to treat cancer, have the potential to save lives. By making low cost medicines available through biopharming, people who need medicine, but who could not afford it in the past, would have the opportunity to purchase it. Additionally, with low-cost, mass production, life-saving medicines could potentially reach individuals living in countries where western medicine was never previously available or affordable.
Economic Benefits
For society to prosper, new jobs must be created. Biopharming is a relatively new area, and pharmaceutical companies that are pursuing this type of production will require scientists, technicians, engineers and other professionals to implement this technology into their businesses. By creating jobs, and integrating technology and business, biopharming can open up career paths and market segments. Further, with an aging population, healthcare costs are predicted to rise. If biopharming leads to the manufacture of less expensive drugs, these costs can be more easily controlled.
Crop Contamination
In a high profile case, biotechnology company ProdiGene, Inc., accidentally mixed genetically modified corn with conventionally grown soybeans. This contaminated crops that were intended for use as a food source and exacerbated the concerns of organizations who were already opposed to biopharming and who had predicted this type of event. Because plants cross-pollinate to reproduce, it's possible that cross contamination could again occur in the future, if stricter regulations aren't developed and enforced. Cross-contamination could reduce the nations' food supply and export capabilities because many genetically modified plants are toxic when consumed in their raw form. Further, the possible effects of genetically engineered crops on other plant species, insects and animals are largely unknown, and it's possible that these reengineered plants carry the potential to create irreversible environmental damage.
Potential Threats to Humans
Although the goal of biopharming is to produce less expensive drugs, critics have raised concerns that biopharmaceuticals could potentially be more expensive than traditional drugs. They contend that by the time pharmaceutical corporations have paid for research and development as well as the extraction of necessary chemicals from plants, and litigation costs associated with crop contamination, the costs to manufacture bioengineered pharmaceuticals will equal traditional production costs. Given the potential environmental risks as well as the potential economic risks, biopharming may be able to live up to its promise of providing affordable pharmaceuticals to millions of people around the world.