The contribution of biological diversity to pharmacy and human health

Abstract

In Part 1 of this series of articles, the significant environmental drivers of change to the future of human health were outlined. In Part 2, some of the mechanisms of the health consequences of environment change were examined with a particular focus on emerging infectious diseases. Part 3 now takes stock of how our modern society, and pharmacy in particular has benefited from nature's bounty - a bounty of brilliant molecular inventions that we know as modern drugs. In a way, the first two contributions relate to what nature can do 'to us' ! This third article reminds us - pharmaceutically at least - what nature can do 'for us'. The fourth and final part to this series, to be published in Australian Pharmacist in December 2005, will speculate why and how professional pharmacy policy might be synthesised to embrace some of the key issues raised in this series.