The United Nations General Assembly's theme for the 2023 International Day of Forests is "Forests and Health" as Jaguar collaborates with communities in the Amazonia rainforest to ethically source the active ingredient in its FDA approved botanical drug
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2023 / Jaguar Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAGX) ("Jaguar" or the "Company") today announced that the Company, in advance of International Day of Forests, which takes place March 21, 2023, has achieved an important milestone related to the health of forest ecosystems, people, and communities in the Peruvian Rainforest.
For well over a decade, the Company has been collaborating with tropical forest peoples and communities to collect the latex of the Dragon's Blood tree (Croton lechleri), from which crofelemer, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Company's FDA-approved oral botanical drug, is extracted and purified.
Jaguar's wholly owned subsidiary, Napo Pharmaceuticals, sources crofelemer from a large number of communities in the Amazonia rainforest of Central and Northern Peru, providing revenue to more than 20,000 people since 2009 in remote areas who have few other sources of income. The Company has also promoted widespread reforestation of this fast-growing native pioneer tree by supporting seedling nurseries and funding tree planting and maintenance - work involving both men and women in the communities. These activities are taking place in more than 30 locations in the Amazon as part of the Company's long-term commitment to sustainable natural resource management.
The primary collaborating partners in this process are indigenous peoples from 19 distinct Amazonian indigenous culture groups. It is estimated that nearly 2,200 people have participated in Company-directed reforestation programs in this region since 2009, and that another nearly 19,000 people have been providing latex and receiving payments since 2009 to support their families and improve their quality of life. The benefits of this collaboration extend to the family members of those involved in these activities - an estimated total of more than 83,000 people, of which approximately 90% are members of indigenous Amazonian communities.
"The approximate cumulative total of resources provided to our Peruvian supply chain partner companies, which contribute to the regional and national economies and pay taxes to various governmental authorities, from 2009 to the present is US$6 million, of which approximately US$3.6 million has gone directly to indigenous people and their families," said Steven King Ph.D., Jaguar Health's Chief Sustainable Supply, Ethnobotanical Research and IP officer, who has been conducting research in the Amazon for more than 40 years. "Those family members, in turn, spend a significant percentage of the revenue they receive on local goods and services, which generates a significant positive ‘multiplier effect' within their isolated communities."
"We are proud to be collaborating and interdependent with the people and tropical forest ecosystems of Peru. The world continues to learn that the conservation of tropical forests is often most effectively assured by the indigenous peoples who have been sustainably managing these ecosystems for centuries. They are dependent upon the water, air, animals, and plants of the forests for their physical and spiritual well-being - as is the rest of world. They honor their relationship to the nurturing elements of their tropical forest homes. It is clear that the cultural and ecological health of people and forests are intertwined at multiple levels, and we wish to express our gratitude to these people and communities who have been working with and teaching members of our team for several decades how to sustainably manage this valuable medicinal plant within their ecosystems. They continue to integrate the Dragon's Blood tree into numerous creative reforestation strategies, as part of their sophisticated agroforestry and medicinal plant production systems," Dr. King added.
About International Day of Forests
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21st the International Day of Forests in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns. The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. The theme for 2023 is "Forests and health."
About Crofelemer
Crofelemer is a botanical (plant-based) drug extracted and purified from the red bark sap, also referred to as "Dragon's Blood," of the Croton lechleri tree in the Amazon Rainforest. Napo Pharmaceuticals, Jaguar's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, has established a sustainable harvesting program, under fair trade practices, for crofelemer to ensure a high degree of quality, ecological integrity, and support for Indigenous communities.
About Jaguar Health, Napo Pharmaceuticals, Napo Therapeutics & Jaguar Animal Health
Jaguar Health, Inc. is a commercial stage pharmaceuticals company focused on developing novel, plant-based, sustainably derived prescription medicines for people and animals with GI distress, including chronic, debilitating diarrhea. Jaguar Health's wholly owned subsidiary, Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., focuses on developing and commercializing proprietary plant-based human pharmaceuticals from plants harvested responsibly from rainforest areas. Our crofelemer drug product candidate is the subject of the OnTarget study, an ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for prophylaxis of diarrhea in adult cancer patients receiving targeted therapy. Jaguar Health is the majority shareholder of Napo Therapeutics S.p.A. (f/k/a Napo EU S.p.A.), an Italian corporation established by Jaguar Health in Milan, Italy in 2021 that focuses on expanding crofelemer access in Europe. Jaguar Animal Health is a tradename of Jaguar Health.
For more information about Jaguar Health, please visit https://jaguar.health. For more information about Napo Pharmaceuticals, visit napopharma.com. For more information about Napo Therapeutics, visit napotherapeutics.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements." In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "aim," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are only predictions. Jaguar has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond Jaguar's control. Except as required by applicable law, Jaguar does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
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SOURCE: Jaguar Health, Inc.
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