Jamaican biochemist, Dr. Henry Lowe (left), and research partner, Dr. Joseph Bryant, of the University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology, examine transgenic mice used to test the effect of two Jamaican plants on cancer tumours. - Contributed

1962-2007: 45 years of nationhood

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Jamaican biochemist, Dr. Henry Lowe, and his research partner, Dr. Joseph Bryant, of the Institute of Human Virology, announced the discovery of a cancer drug derived from a pair of endemic Jamaican plants. The drug, Lowe stated, can help cure five cancers, B-16 melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, Kaposi sarcoma, and a B-cell lymphoma.

Lowe said commercial production could begin within three to five years as a to the existing cancer drug Taxol.

Huge financial implications

"This," he said, "has huge financial implications for the country in terms of tax revenues and foreign exchange earnings and for the scientific community."

Five years ago, Professor Manley West, head of the Pharmacology Department of the University of the West Indies, and Dr. Alfred Lockhart, introduced a cannabis-derived medication called Centimal to treat the condition of glaucoma.

It was the world's first combination of an alpha agonist and a bet blocker (two types of drugs) in one bottle for the treatment of this disease. They had previously found another cannabis-derived drug, Canasol, in 1987 for the treatment of glaucoma, Asmasol for bronchial asthma and coughs, and Canavert for seasickness.

The plant periwinkle has also been found to have anti-cancer properties, and drugs for the treatment of leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease have been extracted from the plant.