Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Prescription Drugs

The drug ensitrelvir, under the brand name Xocova, was recently approved in Japan as a post-exposure protection against Covid-19.

This Pill Can Prevent You From Getting Covid-19 After Exposure to the Disease-Causing Virus, According to a Clinical Trial

The drug showed promising results in an international study involving nearly 2,400 participants, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make an approval decision for it in June

The federal government is reclassifying medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

State-Licensed Medical Marijuana Has Been Reclassified as a Less-Dangerous Drug. Here’s What That Means

The move should make it easier for researchers to study the substance and give tax breaks to licensed medical marijuana dealers

In experiments, juvenile Atlantic salmon that were exposed to cocaine’s primary metabolite swam more and dispersed farther than their sober peers.

Cocaine Pollution Seems to Make Salmon Swim Farther Than Usual. Scientists Don’t Know the Long-Term Consequences

The illegal drug’s main byproduct, benzoylecgonine, caused more robust effects than cocaine itself. Wastewater treatment plants often don’t fully process such metabolites, so they are frequently found in bodies of water at higher concentrations than their parent drugs

Tobacco plants make a lot of the amino acid tryptophan, the basis of many psychoactive compounds.

Scientists Engineered Tobacco Plants to Produce Five Mind-Altering Psychedelic Compounds

The substances have been used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, but they’ve recently become popular as possible therapeutics for mental health conditions

Courses of the antibiotic clindamycin taken within a year before stool sampling were associated with the largest changes in gut microbiomes.

Some Antibiotic Drugs Can Alter Your Gut Microbiome for Up to Eight Years, New Research Suggests

Just a single course of treatment can leave a lasting impression, according to a study of nearly 15,000 people in Sweden

None

There's More to That

Venomous Snakes Represent a Serious Public Health Problem. Scientists Are Biting Back With a Groundbreaking Antidote

Researchers around the world are attempting to create a safer and more effective treatment in hopes of saving hundreds of thousands of lives

Stimulants prescribed for ADHD target the parts of the brain related to wakefulness and reward, shown in yellow and orange, according to a new study.

How Do These ADHD Medications Work in the Brain? The Mechanisms Are Different Than Once Thought, a Study Suggests

Adderall, Ritalin and other stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder seem to work on brain areas involved with wakefulness and reward, rather than attention

The World Health Organization conditionally recommends the use of GLP-1 drugs, including tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, for obesity treatment. 

Here’s What the World Health Organization Had to Say About GLP-1s in its First-Ever Guideline on the Drugs

The health agency supports the long-term use of the medications in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, and calls for equitable access to the drugs

Oliver and his father, Ricky

This Toddler Was the First Person to Receive a Test Treatment for a Rare Genetic Disorder. Nine Months Later, His Progress Is Inspiring Hope

Oliver Chu is one of five kids participating in a clinical trial investigating a gene therapy for Hunter syndrome, a disorder with symptoms akin to childhood dementia that limits life expectancy

The daily pills are designed for use among those whose high cholesterol is not reaching healthy targets despite taking other medications.

New Daily Pill Could Potentially Be Life-Saving for Americans With High Cholesterol Levels, Researchers Say

The medication, which significantly lowers the risk of heart attacks, could be a promising alternative to expensive and unpopular injectables

Psilocybe cubensis, a mushroom that produces the psychoactive compound psilocybin.

Magic Mushrooms Evolved Psilocybin Not Once, but Twice

Two different types of mushroom evolved the same psychedelic compound in completely unrelated ways, a recent study finds

Scientists are currently studying whether cannabis use may cause schizophrenia.

Inside the Quest to Understand the Link Between Cannabis and Schizophrenia

Recent studies have examined the relationship between the drug and psychoses and looked at how the brain responds to the substance

Researchers Daniel Cerveny and Marcus Michelangeli collecting salmon from the Dal River in Sweden.

Salmon Are Being Exposed to Our Anti-Anxiety Medication, and It’s Making Them Take More Risks, Study Suggests

Atlantic salmon exposed to a common anti-anxiety drug migrate faster, according to new research. That’s not necessarily a good thing

Researchers are investigating oyster "blood" as a potential new treatment for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Oyster ‘Blood’ May Be the Secret Weapon in Our Fight Against Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs, Study Finds

In lab experiments, a protein found in the Sydney rock oyster made some antibiotics more effective and killed several types of illness-causing bacteria

Deaths attributable to antimicrobial resistance could reach 39 million between 2025 and 2050.

Deaths From Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Could Reach 39 Million by 2050, Study Suggests

A new paper analyzes three decades of fatalities around the world and predicts how “superbugs” will affect human health in the future

Ketamine and esketamine are the only psychedelics currently being used clinically with eating disorder patients.

The Future of Mental Health

Are Psychedelics the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment?

The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinking

Scientists found inspiration in octopus suckers, which can hold onto surfaces underwater, to design a new drug-delivery method that sticks to the inner cheek.

New Patch Inspired by Octopus Suckers Could Deliver Drugs Without Needles

Medicine-filled suction cups attached to the inside of the cheek could be an effective alternative to oral tablets or injections, study finds

FDA panelists say phenylephrine itself isn't dangerous, but taking it could lead to sick patients delaying effective treatment.

Leading Decongestant in Cold and Flu Medicines Doesn’t Work, FDA Advisory Panel Says

Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in over-the-counter remedies, is no better than a placebo, per the panel

Because the newly approved pill can be taken at home and starts working within just a few days, it may be a better treatment option for some new moms.

New Moms Can Soon Take a Pill for Postpartum Depression

The FDA approved the first oral medication to treat the serious mental condition on Friday

Opill was first approved by the FDA about 50 years ago, but until now, users needed a prescription to access it.

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Experts say the decision will increase access to safe and effective contraceptives for millions of Americans

Page 1 of 6