When, in the early 1980s, Pflegum Courtal decided that drug discovery using natural chemicals was a technology of the past, the firm followed in the footsteps of rival firms by divesting its natural products chemistry division. When, a decade later, several pharmaceuticals once again turned to natural chemistry discovery in search of novel drugs, Pflegum Courtal sought to establish a research-focused alliance with a biotech firm, through its research division Proton, so as to regain a foothold in a type of chemistry that searches for drug candidates using natural products alone. Nature, it is thought, contains the necessary remedies to fight everyday diseases – one merely has to locate the right compounds for the right disease targets. Natural products chemistry is thus fundamentally different from the more common synthetic chemistry, whereby chemical compounds are tailor-made in laboratories. At the time, Bionatura was one such company amongst various other providers, including PanLabs, MycoSearch, Amgen and in-house departments at Glaxo, SmithKline Beecham, Merck and Pfizer. As collaborating with another major pharmaceutical seemed unattractive, Bionatura emerged as a leading candidate given its advanced edge natural products chemistry capabilities and its dire need for financial resources.