Team Sofia Blog

Throughout the past hundred and fifty years, many of the world‘s great health problems were solved, in large part thanks to researchers and pharmaceutical companies, and the drugs they’ve produced; But what makes a pharmaceutical a rockstar in a world filled with thousands of solutions for every ailment? What makes a drug like penicillin more valuable than Ritalin? How do we determine if Viagra is more valuable to society than Thorazine?
The 10 pharmaceuticals listed below offered the first solutions for major health issues that affect large percentages of the world‘s population. Each of the top ten opened up a new world within the health industry. Yes, better antibiotics and anti-psychotics exist in today’s market. However, without these top ten, the progress made in the medical field throughout the past 150 years would not be possible.

History’s Pharmaceutical Top 10

1 Penicillin: In the world of yesterday, a wound often meant death to the injured. With the discovery of penicillin, an infection could be controlled and eliminated. In the modern world, over 75% of infections can be treated and cured with the use of modern antibiotics.

2 Smallpox & Polio Vaccines: These vaccines changed the world of preventive medicine. People could once again interact in public places without the fear of losing the ability to walk. Children could go to school without the risk of death by smallpox. Public space became safe again. These vaccines opened the door for many other vaccines that prevent devastating diseases from running rampant throughout society.

3 Insulin: Before the 1920s, diabetes victims were essentially starved to death as treatment. With the introduction of insulin, the disease became manageable. With the help of insulin, life is possible for those who suffer with diabetes.

4 Aspirin: A simple headache, arthritic pain in the wrist, a sore muscle. Aspirin offers a solution to the more minor pains of daily life. While morphine and other opiates are too strong for these types of pain, Aspirin offers a real solution for daily pain management. Even today, aspirin still tops its competitors for successful pain management.

5 Morphine: While morphine development resulted in drugs like heroin, this superhero of the pharmaceutical world reduced or eliminated the suffering of patients with extreme pain or terminal illnesses. Less suffering and more effective pain control allow patients to have a better, less excruciating life.

6 Ether: The world’s first pharmaceutical anesthetic revolutionized the surgical field. A surgeon can now perform extensive and extremely invasive surgery without the patient remaining conscious throughout the procedure.

7 Psychiatric Drugs: Thorazine and Haldol are just a few of the pharmaceuticals that allowed for control of serious psychiatric issues. While no one can agree on which of these pharmaceuticals is the number one psychiatric drug, they can all agree that without these drugs, we would still have overcrowding in psych wards and no hope of helping patients manage their diseases.

8 Birth Control: In 2010, there are a myriad of options open to men and women for family planning. The introduction of birth control gave a couple the power to choose if and when they would like to begin a family. These highly effective medications almost completely eliminate unexpected pregnancy, when used properly. Hormone management through birth control can also make life more bearable for some women.

9 Arsphenamine/ Salvarsan: Pharmaceuticals that allow the treatment of diseases that are likely to kill can’t be ignored. While the treatment of syphilis using Salvarsan was often excruciating for the patient, it was successful in eradicating the disease from the body. As a result of these successes, research can continue in the realm of devastating diseases like HIV/AIDS.

10 Lanoxin/ Lasix: Finally, medications that help the heart are, without a doubt, to be included in the top 10 of all time. We can control blood pressure, cholestorol, and plaque with these medications. While some are simply diuretics, others perform artery cleansing miracles. While Lanoxin and Lasix were simply among the first heart helping pharmaceuticals, they paved the way for treatment of the millions of Americans suffering from heart disease.

Melissa Meyers is passionate about helping people find where to find mha programs.