CNBC Originals

Pill Poppers (2012x3)

Air date: Mar 08, 2012

Pain killers, antibiotics, cholesterol lowering pills... Drugs perform minor miracles day after day, freeing us from pain and disease. Pill Poppers takes us on a tour through the world of pharmaceuticals – and reveals that drug discovery has as much to do with serendipity as it does with science. We learn that the purpose of some drugs has changed -- like Ritalin, for instance, which was originally designed to treat depression in adults before becoming a blockbuster treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Scientists think it may even make you more intelligent. Pill Poppers also investigates the consequences of over-prescribing antibiotics, and reveals the drugs that have changed the world, from Prozac to Viagra.