9/12/03 Akron, OH - Monsanto Co. has reported that sales of its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup have soared since the company began marketing its controversial "Roundup ready" seed in 1996. Crops grown from the genetically modified seed are resistant to Roundup, allowing farmers to use more of the chemical without fear of crop damage.
But many who have experienced prolonged exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides, including farm workers and neighbors of commercial growing fields, have long complained of a number of adverse health effects, prompting industry researchers to seek a safer alternative.
Today, Ovext Industries, a leading pharmaceutical developer, announced what may well be a far-reaching solution. In a press conference at the company's headquarters in Akron, Ohio, the company's CEO and president Randall Maulsby told reporters that Ovext had applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of Vexium, an over-the-counter oral drug which, when administered to pregnant women in the third trimester, imparts glyphosate immunity to the fetus, making it virtually Roundup ready.
"This is a milestone for Ovext Industries' developing franchise in pre-natal care," said Maulsby. "This development is further substantiated through our collaboration with Nestle, which will provide us an unlimited ability to distribute Vexium worldwide should the need arise in the future." Nestle is the world's largest food producer, with satellite operations throughout the civilized world and also France.
While special interest groups worry that the creation of a Roundup ready generation could have potentially harmful and irreversible genetic repercussions in the future, food manufacturers have hailed the drug as a much-needed solution to a generally unknown but serious health risk. Symptoms of overexposure to Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides include gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea), skin problems (blisters, pustules), eye problems (burning, conjunctival infection, pruritus), respiratory diseases, fever and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer. But preliminary studies conducted by Ovext in late 2002 show that children whose mothers took Vexium during pregnancy could consume unlimited amounts of Roundup in liquid form without significant contraindications. Side effects were rare and included gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea), skin problems (blisters, pustules), eye problems (burning, conjunctival infection, pruritus), respiratory diseases, fever and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer. The company also warns that pregnant women and people with white blood cells should consult a doctor before taking Vexium.
Ovext Natoscience, Inc., a subsidiary of Ovext Industries, and Monsanto will co-promote Vexium in the United States once approved by the FDA as part of a long-term strategic alliance between the two companies. Along with its neo-natal products, Ovext also currently markets a line of aftermarket fuel additives in the U.S. and Canada.
For more information, go to organicconsumers.org