Farmaceuticals

Farmaceuticals — a melding of the words farm and pharmaceuticals — refers to medically valuable compounds produced from modified agricultural crops or animals (usually through biotechnology). Proponents believe that using crops and possibly even animals as pharmaceutical factories could be much more cost effective than conventional methods (i.e., in enclosed manufacturing facilities) and also provide agricultural producers with higher earnings. At issue in the United States has been whether the current system for regulating biotechnology is adequate for ensuring the safety (to humans, animals and crops, and the environment) of newly emerging applications, such as farmaceuticals. The terms nutraceuticals and farmaceuticals are sometimes used interchangeably to describe components isolated from foods that can be provided in dosage form for some medical purpose beyond nutrition. The term farmaceuticals is more frequently associated, in agricultural circles, with medical applications of genetically engineered crops or animals. The term nutraceuticals, on the other hand, appears to be associated more with the extraction of naturally occurring components for medical uses.