Thomas Hager tells the stories of the most impactful drugs humans have developed, the people who discovered them, and the companies that have profited.

From medicinal herbs and extracts to modern pills and vaccines, drug development has had a major impact on society.

The stories of how everyday drugs were created are full of serendipitous moments, revolutionary discoveries, underdog scientists, and big players who knew they could get rich.

In Ten Drugs, the popular science and narrative non-fiction writer Thomas Hager sheds some light on the perplexing history of drugs.

Hager reveals that the discovery of many essential medicines came from luck, random tinkering, or mistakes.

Ten Drugs paints a colorful picture of the people who changed medicine and pharmacology, the immense impact of their work, and the societal shifts it brought about.