Researchers have come a long way in understanding how many pharmaceuticals work at the molecular level, but there are still many drugs whose mechanisms remain murky at best. While a detailed understanding of their molecular pharmacology isn’t necessary for clinical use, it could help scientists understand the basic science involved and, therefore, develop new and improved drugs with fewer side effects.
“If we threw out all the drugs for which we do not know the molecular mechanisms, we wouldn’t be left with a lot,” Peter Imming, a pharmaceutical chemist at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, told The Scientist.
From mood enhancers to pain relievers, here are a few of the most commonly used drugs with unknown mechanisms.
LithiumWIKIMEDIALithium
Lithium salts have been used ...
