The Conversation: A Billion-Dollar Drug was Found in Easter Island Soil – What Scientists and Companies Owe the Indigenous People They Studied

An antibiotic discovered in the soil of Easter Island in 1964 sparked a billion-dollar pharmaceutical success story. Named after the island’s Indigenous name, Rapa Nui, the drug rapamycin was initially developed as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection and to improve the efficacy of stents to treat coronary artery disease. Its use has since expanded to treat various types of cancer, and researchers are currently exploring its potential to treat diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and even aging. Yet the history told about this “miracle drug” has completely left out the people and politics that made its discovery possible. Dig DEEPER.