Warfarin: How a rat poison became one of the world’s most widely prescribed drugs

Game Changers in Medicine

In the 1930s, an unknown disease was killing cattle across the Midwest. One Wisconsin farmer traveled 200 miles through a blizzard to the University of Wisconsin, desperate to find a solution. To emphasize the dire nature of the situation, that farmer brought the evidence with him, loading up his truck with bales of spoiled hay, a milk can of uncoagulated blood, and a dead cow. Quite by chance, he crossed paths with a sympathetic scientist and medical history was made.

Learn how that chance meeting set off a series of medical discoveries that resulted in a one-time rat poison saving President Eisenhower’s life and becoming one of the world’s most widely prescribed drugs. This is the story of warfarin.

Warning: This episode contains the description of an attempted suicide and may not be suitable for all audiences. If you or someone you know needs help call 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionhotline.com.

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