Amazon’s Untapped Pharmaceutical Value Threatened by Ongoing Deforestation

A July study by London‑based Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA) estimates that tropical forests worldwide could hold a median $714 billion in potential drug value from undiscovered flowering‑plant compounds, with the Amazon alone accounting for about $215 billion—roughly 30 % of the total. The analysis notes that three‑quarters of cancer drugs approved between 1940 and 2014 were inspired by natural products, and that 99 % of plant‑derived chemicals remain unscreened. Since 2001, clearing of tropical forests has already jeopardised $86 billion of this commercial value globally, and many Amazon endemics may have vanished forever, erasing unique medicinal prospects. The findings underscore how deforestation directly erodes future medical innovation.