Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus is the oldest known medical text dating to about 1800 BC. It documented the use of honey to treat infections and the legs of bee-eaters to alleviate neck pain.
Gerhard Domagk discovered sulfa drugs in 1932. This discovery led to a dramatic drop in pneumonia mortality rates in the United States from 0.2% to 0.05% by 1939.
Enovid was the first oral contraceptive and it was approved by the FDA in 1960. It inhibited ovulation and proved much more effective than alternatives including the condom and the diaphragm.
In 2010, the research and development cost of each new molecular entity was approximately US$1.8 billion. This figure highlights the immense financial burden placed on pharmaceutical companies, academic scientists, and governments.
The primary avenue for medications reaching the environment is through the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. These plants release chemical components from both industrial production and municipal consumption into lakes, rivers, and soil worldwide.
The Abigail Alliance was established in November 2001 by Frank Burroughs in memory of his daughter. The organization seeks broader availability of investigational drugs on behalf of terminally ill patients.