Narcissus and Daffodil

19 Review of pharmaceutical patents
from the genus Narcissus
James R. Murray
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is to give the reader a flavour of the richness of concepts associated
with the Narcissus genus whilst bowing to the practicalities of reporting complicated
patent processes that evolve over a period of years. No attempt is made to
give definitive lists of published versus granted patents, as such lists would, by
necessity, be out of date by the time of publication of this book. Instead, the
chapter uses the listings of published patents and applications as of mid-September
1999 as a basis of a comprehensive review of the areas of research and development
of products and projects associated with the cultivation and utilisation of
narcissus (daffodil) plants and their constituents.
On undertaking the search for patents published around the genus Narcissus,
28 were identified under the title ‘narcissus’, 11 under ‘daffodil’ and 55 under
‘galanthamine’. As galanthamine was originally extracted from the Caucasian
snowdrop it was, perhaps, not surprising that only two of the 39 patents identified
under ‘narcissus’ or ‘daffodil’ referred to galanthamine. Although not strictly
related to Narcissus species, these patents are included here for completeness. The
‘narcissus’ and ‘daffodil’ titles are mainly related to use in cosmetic agents and
fragrances, and many of these patents are from Japan and without equivalents
outside Japan. These patents refer to synthetic molecules designed to mimic narcissus
fragrance, as well as extracts of the plant. The galanthamine patents cover
manufacture, intermediates used in the production of galanthamine, analogues of
galanthamine, and the use of the cholinesterase inhibitory and nicotinic agonist
pharmacological activities of the compounds in the clinic. Such clinical indications
range from the original Eastern European folklore use of galanthamine in the
management of patients with infantile paralysis (poliomyelitis) to the treatment of
erectile dysfunction!
NARCISSUS AND DAFFODIL PATENTS
Patents related to non-therapeutic uses
A fascinating array of patents describing the utilisation of agents derived from
daffodils, to mimic the fragrance of daffodils, or for agents or methods used to
influence daffodils themselves, was uncovered. Who could fail to be intrigued by
the grappling shovel with twin concave blades mounted on handles, operated with