There a few medicines which were accidentally discovered, we call it the happy accidents.

1. Happy Accidents: The role of
serendipity in drug discovery
March 25, 2016 Dealhopp.com
Case of medicines that were ‘accidentally’
discovered
A momentary lapse in concentration can apparently change the course of history. This statement
holds true for the people who stumbled upon a drug totally by chance and are remembered for
something that they actually did not intend to find in the first place (No offense here). Just like
Columbus who set out to discover India but ended up in America. It is because of such pleasant
surprises that medicine is often referred to as the ‘science of uncertainty and an art of probability’. In
this article we bring you some medicines that wouldn’t have existed had their inventors been a little
too cautious.
Penicillin by Alexander Fleming (1928): Also known as the ‘Jack of All Drugs’, Penicillin is used to
treat infections such as pneumonia, gonorrhea, rheumatic fever etc. While sorting through his petri
dishes Fleming found an unusual growth in one of them which he had forgotten to cover. As it turned
out that unusual growth heralded the dawn of antibiotic age. Even though, this phenomenon of using
antibiotics had long been used by Greeks and Egyptians to cure infected wounds, it was not until
1928 that it was used for the masses.
Viagra by Pfizer (1998): For most men, getting up early is the second ‘hardest’ thing in the morning
but there are a few who are not that lucky. Also known as the ‘Blue Pill’, Viagra was tested as
a cardiovascular drug and for its ability to lower blood pressure levels. However, one common
thing that was found during those tests was that men who volunteered for the tests refused to give
the medication back as it had a side effect of increasing the blood pressure to a ‘particular area’ and
gave a harder and firmer erection. Since then it took the taboo out of impotence. Well, The Matrix
wouldn’t have been possible had Neo taken the blue pill.
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) by Humphy Davy (1799): In the early 1700s this gas was used at
laughing gas parties thrown by the rich and famous. It was not until years later that people benefited
from its anesthetic qualities. Medicinally used by dentists and surgeons worldwide, its journey from

2. the life of the party to operating tables has been one hell of a ride. Guess, Mr. Davy did have the last
laugh.
Rogaine (1988): People have always been conscious about their appearance and Rogaine seized
the opportunity and cashed in on it. Initially, Rogaine was used to treat high blood pressure. But
users started observing an interesting side effect, it increased the darkness of hair and caused hair
growth. Rogaine gets its powerful effects from a drug named Minoxidil, which was already present in
the market before the launch of Rogaine. Nonetheless, Rogaine helped people both men and
women bridge that gap between their ‘before’ and ‘after’ pics.