United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), the leading pharmaceutical and healthcare company in the Philippines, announced that its affiliate, the Sentrong Katutubong Yaman (Sekaya), is tapping into the country’s rich biodiversity to develop natural medicinal products with the help of science and technology (S&T).

Sekaya signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) enhance research and development (R&D) on health, especially in medicinal plants.

The signing was held during the recent inauguration of the Sekaya Research and Development Plant at the Unilab Pharma Campus in Mamplasan, Laguna. The facility is envisioned to become a collaborative R&D center for local medicinal plants and as a platform to develop natural products based on science to help the indigenous communities and small farmers benefit from the country’s rich resources.

Present during the signing and the inauguration of the Sekaya R&D Plant were Dr. Rowena Guevara, DOST undersecretary for research and development; Gov. Carmencita Ongsiako Reyes of Marinduque; Dr. Fabian Dayrit, professor at the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Chemistry; Dr. Dolores Ramirez, National Scientist; Dr. Teresita Borromeo, professor and head of the Plant Genetic Division of UP Los Banos; and Dr. Cecilia Maramba, director of the National Institutes of Health.

“Indigenous communities and farmers, who are among the poorest in the country, have a lot to gain from the development of plant-based natural products in terms of livelihood and health benefits,” said Dr. Eliseo Banaynal, executive director of Sekaya.

Lack of access to modern technology and technical expertise are among the barriers that prevent Filipino farmers from being competitive and from increasing their income, he said. Through the Sekaya facility, small farmers can tap the expertise of scientists and gain access to innovative technologies and processes.

The Philippines is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world or the world’s top biodiversity-rich countries which contain about 70 to 80 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. The Philippines ranks fifth in terms of number of plant species and is home to 5 percent of the world’s plants (about 10,000 to 13,000 species of plants described and recorded).

“The Philippines’ rich biodiversity should be protected at all costs; at the same time we should make sure that benefits from it will redound to the Filipinos,”  Joey Ochave, senior vice president of Unilab, said. Unilab, through Sekaya, will support communities in cultivating and developing practical applications for the country’s natural resources that will be beneficial to them,” said

For the DOST’s part, PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya underscored the government’s call for continuous development of the country’s biodiversity for health-related discoveries, particularly plant-based medicines. DOST, through PCHRD, has been at the forefront of the government’s efforts to develop herbal medicines to maximise the potential of medicinal plants which abound all over the country.

According to PCHRD, experts have identified over 1,500 indigenous medicinal plants in the Philippines. Globally, there is renewed interest and demand for herbal medicines in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that eight out of 10 people worldwide use herbal medicines.

The Philippines should adopt policy-driven health priorities to better utilize the research being done in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) stressed in a recent forum.

Although the country’s strong showing in a recent study by the Brookings Institution indicated the Philippines has a good environment for medical research and development, there is still a gap in translating research into policy, current and former DOH officials said at the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) 35th Anniversary Research to Policy Forum held last month.

Velasco suggested that health priorities should be policy-driven to ensure that health research would be utilized through policy implementation. Research co-production and increased support for evidence-based research were also cited as strategies to effectively turn research into concrete policies.

Apart from data and findings, Dr. Fely Marilyn E. Lorenzo, former Professor of the Department of Health Policy and Administration of the University of the Philippines Manila said that policy documents must be able to capture the views and wishes of the beneficiaries, as well as opinions of the researchers and testimonials. Effective policy research must be problem-driven, multi-dimensional, flexible, and strongly evidence-based, she stressed.

On the issue of policy adoption as a major challenge in implementing research-based policies, “It’s always prudent to consult with stakeholders/end-users,” said Dr. Lorenzo.

Asia-Pacific is at a risk of poor nutrition as modern trade policy opens the region to a flood of ultra-processed food and drinks, according to a study published in Globalization and Health, a conclusion supported by a study by University of the Philippines researchers, who found young people here are at greater risk of noncommunicable diseases from consuming fast food.

In a study by Australian researchers that looked at sales and company data from transnational food and beverage companies, it was found that in China, expenditure on food services from companies such as KFC and McDonald’s increased eighteen-fold from $1.90 per person in 1999 to $34.80 per person in 2013. The research also revealed that the Coca-Cola Company alone had sales in 2013 of more than $16 billion in the Asian region, or 18 percent of their world sales.

Friel called for stronger health regulations across the region, including in Australia. “We need to start looking at policies that mitigate the health risks of these types of products,” Friel said. “We need to look at introducing a tax on sugary drinks.”

Investment by food and beverage companies is facilitated by trade and investment agreements, the study noted. Friel also called on governments “to think about the trade and investment agreements they are signing, what they will mean for domestic health policy, and how they can protect human health.”

Growing problem in PH

The findings of the Australian researchers echoed those of researchers from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, who found that most of the commonly consumed fast food products among youth could increase risks of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

NCDs are cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and stroke, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes, and are responsible for more than 36 million annual deaths worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO stressed that NCDs are highly preventable, but that unhealthy diets are the most significant contribution to their development.

In the UP study, researchers surveyed 1,030 college students aged 16 to 20 years to determine their commonly consumed fast food products. The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) then analyzed the most preferred foods.

The FNRI found that the most consumed fast food products of young people were energy-dense but low in fiber.
“Meaty dishes exceed the recommended amount of energy, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and cholesterol for ages 16-18 years old. Side dishes and condiments also contained considerable amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium while sweetened beverages and desserts contributed to the total amount of energy from meals,” the FNRI conclusions said.

Previous research has linked excessive energy content, cholesterol, fats, and sugar with increased risks of NCDs, researcher Cecile Klaudine C. Cabigas said.

To promote healthier food choices among the youth and reduce the incidence of NCDs, researchers advised fast food establishments to provide nutrition labels on their food products and develop healthier combinations in “value meals.” Also, the young must be educated with physical activity pointers, the researchers suggested.

The UP study was funded by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development under the Department of Health’s Health Systems Research Management Program.