On Dec. 18, 1992, Taxol (paclitaxel), an anticancer drug extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew, received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ovarian cancer that has failed other therapy.

The National Cancer Institute )NCI) spearheaded the development of the drug through collaboration with the USDA’s Forest Service, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, made possible by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986.