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Article: Yewsful stuff. (cancer drug taxol derived from yew trees)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 9, 1992
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TAXOL has something of a cult-following among chemists. A test-tube curiosity during the 1970s, famed as much for its obstinate refusal to be synthesised by organic chemists as for its strange biochemical behaviour, it was eventually put on clinical trial against ovarian cancer in 1983. As a result of that trial, which produced results in 1988, and a subsequent test on women with breast tumours, it is now being hailed by some as the next wonder drug in the battle against cancer. Be that as it may, taxol will get a chance to prove its mettle only if new supplies are found.
Taxol is found in yew trees, but only in small amounts. The best source at the moment is ...