Growing drugs inside plants, instead of making them in factories, could soon be big business. Companies are looking at ways to produce antibodies and vaccines, inside genetically modified corn and other farm crops.

The first commercially available drugs made this way could be available around 2006.

But biopharming will have to overcome public fears that creating new crops engineered to make medicines could jeopardize the food supply.

Via FutureWire CNN.

About GM plants:
In 1999 already, Heath Bunting started distributing his SuperWeed Kit, a lowtech DIY kit to produce a genetically mutant superweed, designed to attack corporate monoculture. SuperWeed Kit contains a mixture of naturally occurring and genetically mutated Brassica seeds. If these seeds are allowed to germinate and cross pollinate, a SuperWeed will be created that will be resistant to current herbicides, thus not only threatening the profitability of conventional and GM Brassica crops, but also of herbicide production and distribution.

The kit is designed for people who feel that the authorities are not going to respect their wishes for a ban on GM crops, they could choose to cultivate and release SuperWeed into the environment. Alternatively they could choose to create their own propaganda campaign threatening biotech corporate interests with this genetic weapon. The threat is often as effective as the execution.