04 August 2000

Text: Monsanto Offers Patent Rights to Golden Rice

The Monsanto Company says it will provide royalty-free patent licenses to the developers of "golden rice," a variety of genetically modified rice that could save millions of malnourished children in poor countries from dying or going blind.

The company, in an announcement made at an agricultural biotechnology symposium in Chennai, India, and reported in an August 4 press release, also said it had launched a new Internet Web site -- www.rice-research.org -- which makes its rice genome sequence database available to researchers around the world.

The grain known as golden rice, enriched with Vitamin A, or beta carotene, is expected to provide nutritional benefits to those suffering from Vitamin A deficiency-related diseases. More than a million children weakened by Vitamin A deficiency die every year in poor countries, and at least 300,000 more go blind.

Golden rice was developed by Ingo Potrykus, professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, with support from other scientists and the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. Potrykus used technology owned by Monsanto and other companies to invent the modified rice.

"I very much hope that others having intellectual property rights used in the development of golden rice will follow the generous example of Monsanto and also provide a royalty-free license for the humanitarian use of the technology and its transfer to developing countries," Potrykus said.

According to reports, there has been increasing pressure in recent years to demonstrate that agricultural biotechnology is more than just a vehicle for raising corporate profits, and companies like Monsanto feel they should be doing something for their good name in public relations.

Potrykus said that if potential patent disputes and related issues involving other companies can be resolved, breeding stocks of golden rice could be sent to agricultural institutes around the world later this year.

Following is the text of the Monsanto press release:

Monsanto Adds Support For "Golden Rice"; Opens Its Genome Sequence Data To Worldwide Research Community

August 4, 2000

ST. LOUIS -- Monsanto announced today at an agricultural biotechnology symposium in Chennai, India, that it will provide royalty-free licenses for all of its technologies that can help further development of "golden rice" and other pro-vitamin A-enhanced rice varieties. Successful development and adoption of enhanced rice could help millions of people suffering from vitamin A deficiencies. The company also announced the recent launch of a new internet web site, www.rice-research.org, opening its rice genome sequence database to researchers around the world. These two actions are part of the company's ongoing commitment to global agricultural research and are aimed at facilitating the use of its technologies and data for the common good.

Monsanto's commitment to offer royalty-free licenses for all the company's technology that may be useful in the development of rice varieties with increased levels of pro-vitamin A (or beta carotene) is expected to aid researchers working in this area who wish to make use of existing proprietary technologies. "We want to minimize the time and expenditure that might be associated with obtaining licenses needed to bring 'golden rice' to farmers and the people in dire need of this vitamin in developing countries," said Hendrik Verfaillie, Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto Company, a subsidiary of Pharmacia Corporation.

The grain known as "golden rice" was developed by Professor Ingo Potrykus, professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, and Dr. Peter Beyer, University of Freiburg, Germany, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. In May 2000, the inventors announced a collaboration with Greenovation and Zeneca to enable delivery of this technology free-of-charge for humanitarian purposes. Zeneca pledged to provide regulatory, advisory and research expertise to assist in making "golden rice" available in developing countries.

"I very much hope that others having intellectual property rights used in the development of 'golden rice' will follow the generous example of Monsanto and also provide a royalty-free license for the humanitarian use of the technology and its transfer to developing countries," Prof. Potrykus said.

The modified rice is expected to provide nutritional benefits to those suffering from vitamin A deficiency-related diseases, including irreversible blindness in hundreds of thousands of children annually. Adequate vitamin A intake can also reduce the mortality associated with infectious diseases such as diarrhea and childhood measles by enhancing the activity of the human immune system.

In March 1999, Monsanto joined the Global Vitamin A Partnership, which includes the US Agency for International Development, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Monsanto has also developed technology to increase levels of beta carotene in oils, and is working to share it with researchers in the developing world.

The launch of the www.rice-research.org database also announced today follows on Monsanto's April 4, 2000, announcement that it had produced a draft sequence of the rice genome, the first crop genome to be described in such technical detail. In order to facilitate and encourage basic research to improve rice and other crops, the data are being made available at no charge to registered researchers through this web site.

Monsanto has already completed the transfer of its rice genome draft sequence data and other materials to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) as the lead agency of the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP). The IRGSP is a ten-member consortium of rice genome sequencing projects around the world. According to MAFF, "the use of this data by the international consortium will significantly accelerate decoding" of the entire rice genome.

A report issued July 2000 by the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and six other Academies of Sciences from around the world included a recommendation that urged companies to license their proprietary technologies for application in the developing world.

Ron Cantrell, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said Monsanto's action should "be recognized as another important step in the positive involvement of the private sector in international rice research. It is essential that institutions like IRRI, and companies like Monsanto, continue to look for ways to work together to the benefit of poor rice farmers and consumers. There should be no doubt that this offer by Monsanto is an important step in this process."

Robert T. Fraley, Chief Technology Officer of Monsanto said, "We hope that sharing fundamental data about the rice genome and enabling the development of solutions for vitamin A deficiency will lead to a wide variety of discoveries that enhance food security and nutrition throughout the developing world."

Monsanto Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pharmacia, is a leading provider of agricultural solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide top-quality, cost-effective and integrated approaches to help farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality foods. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com

The complete contents of Monsanto's April 4, 2000, rice genome sharing press kit, including some photos and graphics, are available at www.monsanto.com/monsanto/mediacenter/2000/00apr4_rice.html

(end text)