Council for American Medical Innovation

Behind every new medicine is a story of the researchers who wouldn’t give up. Their discoveries combine cutting edge science, curiosity, plain hard work and, sometimes, luck. Research scientists devote their careers to finding the needle in the haystack. A few succeed, but everyone helps to lay the foundation for future breakthroughs.

1921: Insulin Isolated
Researchers isolate insulin, the hormone that allows sugar to enter cells, where it is used for energy. Two years later, mass production begins, enabling people with diabetes to prevent their blood sugar levels from rising and slow the progression of the disease.

1928: Penicillin Discovered
Alexander Fleming discovers that a mold had developed on a Petri dish — and created a bacteria-free circle. Twelve years later, other researchers develop the penicillin mold into a new antibiotic that saves millions of lives during WWII and beyond.

1940: Developing Warfarin
A scientist investigating deaths among farm cows discovers that the moldy sweet clover they've been eating contains a blood-thinning agent. It is developed into warfarin, a life-saving medicine which helps keep blood clots from forming, thus reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 

1953: Discovering DNA
Watson and Crick discover that DNA is structured as a double-helix that can “unzip” to make copies of itself. This remarkable discovery changes the way that we understand the human body and disease — and forms the basis for modern biotechnology. 

1954: Ending Polio
More than 1.8 million “polio pioneers” get vaccinated against the virus that two years earlier had left thousands dead or paralyzed. The next year, the massive trial shows the vaccine to be safe and effective.

1963: Fighting Measles
In 1962, a measles epidemic afflicted 400,000 Americans.  Just four years later, the number of cases falls by 94%, to only 22,000 — thanks to a new vaccine. The vaccine is still widely used today.

1968: Anti-Rejection Drugs
Though surgically possible, early organ transplants didn't work because the immune system rejected the new organs.  But a new anti-rejection drug led to the first successful kidney transplant in 1961 — and in 1968 the FDA approved it for widespread use.

1973: The Pill
The first effective progestin-only oral contraceptive becomes available, 13 years after the first “pill.” Because it does not contain estrogen, it decreases the risk of complications from estrogen and also provides other non-contraceptive benefits.

1981: Controlling High Blood Pressure
The first ACE inhibitor, as well as the first calcium channel blockers, are introduced this year. Each provides a new mechanism for controlling high blood pressure; together, they represent major progress in the fight to reduce cardiovascular disease and death.

1987: AZT for HIV
Four years after the identification of the HIV virus, the FDA approves the first treatment for HIV infection.  Called AZT, the drug interferes with the virus’s replication, and significantly cuts AIDS death rates. Later, it is used to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

1994: Inhibiting Tumors
Paclitaxel — a drug derived from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree — is approved as a treatment for breast cancer, two years after its approval for ovarian cancer. The drug inhibits tumor growth, and is now widely used for a variety of cancers.

1996: Saving Sight
The FDA approves ivermectin to treat "river blindness" -- caused by a parasitic worm -- that threatens 85 million people in Africa and Latin America. A single annual dose of the drug has already proven highly effective throughout the world in a vast donation program started in 1987 , helping protect the eyesight of millions.

2000: Improving Chemotherapy
The FDA approves the first antibody-targeted chemotherapy, a new approach to treating cancer. This leukemia treatment links a potent anti-tumor drug with a cancer-specific antibody so it targets only cancer cells -- leaving healthy cells alone. 

2001: Molecular Targeting
The FDA approves a drug that targets chronic myeloid leukemia on a molecular level. Before, only three in ten patients survived for five years; now, many are in remission — with few if any side effects. Molecular targeting is the “wave of the future.”

2003: Mapping the Genome
Fifty years after the discovery of the structure of DNA, the Human Genome Project completes the sequencing of the genetic code. The project ushers in a new era of innovation — providing new strategies to diagnose, treat and prevent disease