{"id":43712,"date":"2026-04-07T10:17:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T10:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43712"},"modified":"2026-04-07T10:17:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T10:17:36","slug":"6-drugs-invented-for-one-thing-but-now-treat-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43712","title":{"rendered":"6 drugs invented for one thing \u2014 but now treat another"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Just think, we may have never gotten the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/07\/lifestyle\/the-secret-science-of-how-ozempic-and-jardiance-get-their-names\/\">\u201cOh, oh, oh, Ozempic!\u201d jingle<\/a> stuck in our heads if it wasn\u2019t for a creepy, bottom-dwelling fish.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Joel Habener of Massachusetts General Hospital <a href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2025\/05\/how-a-fishing-expedition-helped-lead-to-glp-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unexpectedly discovered<\/a> GLP-1 in\u00a0the 1980s while analyzing the pancreatic genes in anglerfish.<\/p>\n<p>Habener\u2019s team identified the precursor to GLP-1, a hormone that regulates blood sugar by boosting insulin and suppressing glucagon after meals, laying the groundwork for the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/health\/types-of-glp-1-drugs-guide\/\">drugs we now know<\/a> as Ozempic, Zepbound and Trulicity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>You can thank this ugly fish for any weight loss or blood sugar management you experienced on GLP-1s. <span class=\"credit\">lapis2380 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>GLP-1s are proving useful beyond their role in taming diabetes and triggering weight loss. Studies indicate benefits to everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/21\/health\/large-scale-study-finds-risks-and-rewards-of-glp-1-medications\/\">chronic kidney disease<\/a> and sleep apnea to <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/12\/health\/when-will-shots-like-ozempic-be-covered-by-health-insurance\/\">alcohol addiction<\/a> because of their ability to reduce inflammation and improve organ health independent of weight loss.<\/p>\n<p>GLP-1 isn\u2019t the only serendipitous breakthrough. Many groundbreaking drugs were discovered by accident or during research for completely different uses \u2014 the antibiotic penicillin was found via mold-contaminated bacteria, while chlorpromazine was developed to prevent surgical shock and later repurposed as an antipsychotic for schizophrenia.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3257347\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Research from 2012<\/a> reported that the discovery of 6% of FDA-approved drugs involved serendipity \u2014 here\u2019s a look at six of them.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Viagra<\/h2>\n<p>Pfizer developed the little blue pill (scientific name: sildenafil) in the late 1980s to address chest pain and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t found to be effective for angina pectoris, but it had one very eye-popping side effect: enhanced erections.<\/p>\n<p>The FDA approved Viagra for erectile dysfunction in 1998. The drug <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/15\/health\/erection-pills-may-have-major-benefits-for-more-than-just-sex-too-many-men-are-missing-out\/\">has also been shown<\/a> to improve blood flow to the lungs and lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Minoxidil<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/shopping\/best-minoxidil-for-men-per-experts\/\">Minoxidil<\/a> has worn many hats. It was developed in the 1950s to treat peptic ulcers but was ultimately unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Just imagine that minoxidil was once intended for the stomach lining, not the head. <span class=\"credit\">Elena \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then it was branded as the antihypertensive Loniten and approved by the FDA in 1979 to treat severe high blood pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists noticed that people who took the drug experienced unexpected hair growth on their heads and bodies. Minoxidil was rebranded as topical Rogaine in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Botox<\/h2>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Before it became a staple in Hollywood skincare regimens, Botox was initially approved by the FDA in 1989 for crossed eyes, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/06\/health\/doctor-reveals-3-ways-to-stop-eyelid-twitching-aka-myokymia\/\">uncontrollable eyelid twitching<\/a> and facial nerve disorders.<\/p>\n<p>OnabotulinumtoxinA was later found to help <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/04\/23\/lifestyle\/new-yorkers-weigh-in-on-once-taboo-botox-and-how-often-they-get-it\/\">reduce cosmetic wrinkles<\/a> while showing potential for the treatment of chronic migraines, severe underarm sweating and overactive bladders.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AZT<\/h2>\n<p>Zidovudine was developed as a chemotherapy drug in the 1960s and promptly shelved when it failed to combat tumor growth in mice.<\/p>\n<p>It reemerged in the 1980s as AZT, the first FDA-approved antiretroviral drug for HIV\/AIDS treatment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The failed chemotherapy drug turned out to be a boon for HIV\/AIDS treatment. <span class=\"credit\">luchschenF \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thalidomide<\/h2>\n<p>Thalidomide has cycled through a few redesigns. A German pharmaceutical company synthesized it in the 1950s for insomnia and morning sickness in pregnant women.<\/p>\n<p>Then it was linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies and withdrawn from the market.<\/p>\n<p>It has since emerged as a remedy for leprosy complications, and now it\u2019s used for treating the rare blood cancer multiple myeloma and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/04\/14\/health\/beware-cruel-mystery-disease-that-can-permanently-damage-organs\/\">lupus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Metformin<\/h2>\n<p>You may know metformin as a diabetes drug. It actually used to be an antimalarial agent and a treatment for influenza.<\/p>\n<p>Now it\u2019s being studied for its potential <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/04\/22\/health\/this-cheap-drug-could-slow-down-aging-scientists\/\">anti-aging properties<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/07\/health\/6-drugs-invented-for-one-thing-but-now-treat-another\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just think, we may have never gotten the \u201cOh, oh, oh, Ozempic!\u201d jingle stuck in our heads if it wasn\u2019t for a creepy, bottom-dwelling fish. Dr.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}