The Philippines taps on rich biodiversity to develop medicine tailored for local needs

Have you ever imagined that the plants growing around us could be the key to future medicine? 

This is what the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) is doing through its Tuklas Lunas programme.  

Through cross-sectoral collaboration, the programme explores the potential of local plants and natural resources of the Philippines – renowned for its biodiversity – to be processed into effective and widely-marketable medicines to meet the needs of the people. 

"Our main objective is to produce safe, effective, and affordable medicines to treat the most common diseases in the Philippines, both communicable and non-communicable," says DOST-PCHRD's Tuklas Lunas Programme Head, Rachelle Mendoza.

According to Mendoza, the programme focuses on funding research projects to find natural therapies for diseases that are the leading causes of mortality in the Philippines. 

One of these is cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death in the country.

Aside from cancer, diseases such as dengue, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial infections are part of the programme's priorities to find medicinal cures. 

Speaking to GovInsider on the sidelines of Festival of Innovation 2025, Mendoza shares about the role of the Tuklas Lunas programme in supporting the national health research ecosystem in the Philippines. 

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Collaboration is key to success   

Collaboration is a key factor in the programme because drug discovery and development cannot be carried out by one discipline alone, she says.  

It requires close collaboration among biologists, chemists, pharmacists, agriculturists, and industry partners, she notes. 

The process also requires close coordination across various government agencies such as the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and university and research centres. 

In addition to academic partners and government agencies, the private sector also plays an important role in bringing research results to market by commercialising them into competitive local medicinal products.

"Researchers may be able to create formulations in the lab, but the process of mass production, industrial-scale testing, and distribution requires support from pharmaceutical companies," she says. 

The programme has seen some notable achievements. Two herbal products - Lagundi (vitex negundo) and Sambong (blumea balsamifera) - have been successfully marketed.  

Lagundi is known as an herbal medicine to relieve cough and asthma, while Sambong is used as a natural diuretic that helps kidney health, particularly for those suffering from urinary tract stone, Mendoza adds. 

In addition, the programme has supported the development of two cosmeceutical products, an antibacterial serum gel and toner, developed from local plants by researchers at University of San Agustin.  

These products have undergone testing and are now available on the market as part of a skincare range with medical benefits. 

"Every product from Tuklas Lunas' research has received approval from the FDA, including permission to conduct clinical trials before the formulation is marketed," Mendoza says. 

Research funding process 

She highlighted that the process behind research funding by DOST-PCHRD is very selective. Researchers are required to submit a concept proposal that includes the research plan, budget, and at times, highlighting also the urgency of the proposed study. 

The proposal is evaluated on whether it aligns with national priorities and the community needs.

If they pass the initial stage, researchers are asked to develop a full-blown proposal that is more technical, including a technology roadmap, research methodology, and details of the benefits of the product to be developed. 

After being assessed by DOST-PCHRD, the proposal will be further evaluated by external experts. The proposals, depending on their budget, shall be subjected to the final green light of the approving authorities.

"This system ensures that any research funded is truly relevant, not duplicative of existing research, and has the potential to be developed into a medicinal product that society needs," says Mendoza. 

Currently, many projects are in the formulation, pre-clinical, and clinical trial stages, as a concrete step towards wider availability of drugs in the market.

Developing an innovative ecosystem 

To ensure that all research remains in line with the needs of society, DOST-PCHRD always refers to the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) and Harmonised National Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA) which are updated every six years. 

"This updating process of NUHRA is conducted by involving various stakeholders, including research institutions and stakeholders for health at the regional level, so that the funded research truly responds to the actual needs of the public," she notes. 

In addition, the programme also encourages the establishment of Tuklas Lunas Development Centres (TLDCs) across different regions of the Philippines.  

These centres focus on developing local natural products, medicines and other pharmaceutical products from terrestrial and marine sources and support the capacity building of researchers to become proficient in the various stages of research – from raw ingredient exploration to preclinical testing. 

"We are hoping that researchers in each region become experts in the various stages of drug discovery and development. In the future, we envisage that they will also be able to capacitate other researchers," she says. 

In the future, Tuklas Lunas programme will continue to expand its research, especially in developing new formulations based on the Philippines' rich biological resources, for the creation of world-class medicinal products. 

Mendoza recently spoke as a panellist at the FOI panel Government and Private Sector Partnership - Getting it Right. You can find the panel recording on-demand here.