Caution is by William Kituuka Kiwanuka
It is not clear whether the MPs fronting a bill to prohibit GMOs need to be very careful. They need to understand that GMOs are not limited to food, but also that GMOs feature in medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Led by Bufumbira County East MP, Hon. James Nsaba Buturo, the lawmakers announced the plan during a press conference in Parliament on Friday, 14 October 2022.
The move comes against the backdrop of the recent enactment of the GMO law in neighbouring Kenya, legalising introduction of GMOs in the country.
Nsaba Buturo said that Ugandans need to reject any plans to introduce GMOs in the country, saying that GMOs pose health risks as well as a danger to the environment.
“We will be making a very strong case in Parliament when the time comes. We know it is going to be a big fight. Those people will use a lot of money but we believe that with God on our side, we shall defeat them, “he said.
Nsaba Buturo added that the Bill will further provide for the phasing out of the already existing GMOs in the country.
“GMOs are a disaster. Eminent scientists have said there are no benefits of GMOs. 50 African countries out of 54 have said no to GMOs. So, those who are rushing us to accept them have their agenda,” Buturo said.
He accused the proponents of GMOs of using GMOs to control food production in Uganda.
“The threat faced by Uganda is worse than colonisation. Ugandans must wake up. The enemy is determined to completely encircle us, make us dependent, make us foolish before human race and we are saying no,” he said.
In 2017 and 2021, President Yoweri Museveni declined to sign into law the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill, 2012.
The bill seeks to provide a regulatory framework that facilitates the safe development and application of biotechnology, research, development and release of genetically modified organisms.
“The President also said that we need to be cautious, act wisely and not foolishly. Introducing GMO seeds in the country have devastating consequences that very few know about. Scientists have bought the lie that GMOs are good,” Nsaba Buturo said.
Dr Emmanuel Otaala (NRM, West Budama County South) called for more research on GMOs, before they are introduced in the country.
GMOs IN MEDICINE AND PHARMACEUTICALS.
When most people hear the phrase “GMOs” (genetically modified organisms), they immediately think of food. Online search results support that assumption, leading many people to conjure up images of enlarged fruit, vegetables, and other dietary staples.
But GMOs go far beyond just plants and food. One area where GMOs make a big impact in the world is medicine and pharmaceuticals. In fact, GMOs were initially developed in the early 1970s, and their first application was in genetically modified pharmaceutical products in the early 1980s.
Although people commonly associate GMOs with food, it wasn’t until the early to mid1990s that GMOs were used in the agriculture industry. In other words, GMOs have been around for a long time. It’s a time-tested technology that has resulted in numerous improvements in many industries and applications.
How Are GMOs Used in Medicine and What are the Benefits?
The benefits of GMOs in medicine are widespread and extremely important, especially as the demand for new treatments and vaccines increases globally. Currently, most pharmaceutical medications are manufactured using natural (non-synthetic) ingredients.
GMOs assist in this process via the process of genetic engineering (GE). Organisms with therapeutic potential used in the genetic engineering process include bacteria, which are the easiest to grow at a large scale of production. Yeasts and mammalian cells are also used to produce certain GMO medicines.
Medicines and Drugs Currently Produced Using GMOs.
Insulin, one of the most widely used medications and an essential lifeline for diabetics, was the first-ever GE drug approve for use. Since its release, GE drugs have continued to be researched, developed, and released, improving symptoms and quality of life for countless people worldwide.
By the year 2000, there were already more than 100 GE drugs available in hospitals and on pharmacy shelves thanks to the usage of GMOs in medicine. In addition to insulin, popular GE drugs include Remicade, Epo, Avastin, and Neulasta, just to name a few examples of GMO drugs in medicine.
Put simply, the medical benefits of GMOs are almost endless, and there are many more pharmaceutical products with GMOs either already on pharmacy shelves or in development.
GMOs’ Role in Vaccinations and Medical Research.
GMOs have played a major role in the development of several vaccines that are either in use or in development, including:
Zika virus
Ebola virus
Flu virus
Hepatitis B
Many GMO vaccines contain specific proteins as their main ingredients. Using GE and other GMO techniques, researchers can coax living cells into producing specific proteins that can be utilized to manufacture vaccines.
How Does GE Differ in Agricultural and Medicinal Use?
Farmers benefit from GE crops because they’re designed to be resistant to herbicides and insects, protecting their profits and livelihoods while not damaging the crops themselves. GE organisms targeted for medicinal use and GMO medical research, on the other hand, are intended to exhibit changes in their actual biochemistry to make them more suitable for usage in medications.
Researchers tasked with changing crops and organisms via GE, whether it’s for agricultural or medicinal purposes, use extensive and careful screening processes to find specific molecules and proteins.
For potential drugs, those proteins and molecules must show promise in treating specific diseases or conditions. For crops, those proteins and molecules must provide useful traits to plants without harming consumers or the environment. Once selected, the desired genes are inserted into host organisms and plants, eventually creating ideal conditions for real-world usage.
GE Crops and Organisms Require Extensive Approval Processes.
Drugs that utilize GE organisms must undergo an in-depth approval process to ensure that they’re safe for consumers. They must also be proven to have a valid therapeutic effect on the conditions they’re supposed to treat.
Crops that utilize GE processes must be tested for safety and substantive equivalence. In other words, they must be proven to be as safe or safer than their non-GE counterparts, while also not putting the environment at risk. This process is made simpler because there are only a few genetic changes made to crops, resulting in less risk of new allergens and digestibility issues compared to their non-GE counterparts.
The testing process for both GE drugs and crops has been highly successful since it was first implemented. According to scientific consensus, all currently approved GE crops pose no greater risk to human health or the environment than non-GE crops, while GE drugs currently available for use have passed regulatory (such the U.S. FDA or European Medicines Agency) stringent safety trials.
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