When disturbing stories about deadly side effects from prescription drugs appear in the news, many people feel distrust toward the pharmaceutical companies that produce them. However, the benefits vastly outweigh the harm. Without prescription drugs, many of the diseases and chronic illnesses that have devastated populations for thousand of years would drastically reduce the overall quality of life enjoyed by billions today.

Probably the greatest prescription drug ever invented is penicillin; a mold with potent antibacterial properties that has been used to combat tuberculosis, syphilis and pneumonia – some of the worst infections in human history. Amazingly, this miraculous drug was discovered by accident in 1928, when bacteriologist Alexander Fleming had forgotten to store a culture plate of bacteria before going on vacation, thereby exposing it to airborne penicillin spores. Later scientific research enabled pharmaceutical companies to mass-produce penicillin and distribute it to soldiers during World War II, saving countless lives. Certainly, many people from the “baby boomer” generation owe their existences to Fleming’s discovery.

Although very few drugs have improved quality of life as drastically as antibiotics, major progress has been made in the field of AIDS research. Advances in antiretroviral therapy have enabled HIV-infected patients to live ten to fifteen years longer, coming closer to the life expectancies of those who are uninfected. Even more newsworthy is the recent discovery of the drug Truvada, which may prevent initial HIV infection altogether. While this protection, if successful, will lead to a collective sigh of relief throughout the world, areas of Africa and Southeast Asia that have been ravaged by the disease will benefit enormously.

Prescription drugs with immediate life-saving properties continue to make headlines, yet there are other kinds of medications that improve quality of life in less obvious ways. Heart disease, one of the main killers in the Western world, increases the risk of fatal heart attacks due to the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, have been shown to reduce this risk by lowering cholesterol levels. In a recent study involving middle-aged men, statin drugs continue to reduce heart attack rates after the patients stop taking them, and may even prevent heart disease if they are used earlier in life. While dietary changes reduce cholesterol without side effects, this discovery could be helpful for those who have a genetic predisposition.

Of all the drugs commonly dispensed by the local pharmacy technician, the birth control pill has changed more lives than most realize. Margaret Sanger, one of the great pioneers for women’s rights in the twentieth century, pushed the need for a reliable oral contraceptive to the political forefront, and brought together a team of scientists and financial supporters to help fulfill this goal. She believed that women who had reproductive control over their bodies would have more freedom to receive an education necessary to enter the higher echelons of the workplace. While some of her actions remain highly controversial, the number of women with college degrees and high-level careers has increased tremendously since the pill was approved in 1960.

These and many other prescription drugs have become instrumental in shaping the course of many lives today. Fatal diseases and chronic illnesses that led to early death in the past are now easily managed, and in some cases, eliminated by these tiny miracles. While the course of drug development will have its pitfalls, the promise of eradicating future illnesses that still plague humanity remains.