
Historically, natural products have been pharma's treasure trove. According to the Natural Products Library Initiative at the Scripps Research Institute, "from 1940s to date, 131 (74.8%) out of 175 small molecule anticancer drugs are natural product-based/inspired, with 85 (48.6%) being either natural products or derived therefrom. From 1981 to date, 79 (80%) out of 99 small molecule anticancer drugs are natural product-based/inspired, with 53 (530/0) being either natural products or derived there from. "In a sense, this is not surprising. In nature, after all, creatures — and at the more basic level, structures, such as receptors and their ligands — have been co—evolving for billions of years.


