Published: January 27, 2008

Imagine a drug which can reduce pain and fever, spare the muscles of the oxygen-starved heart, prevent strokes, and save 110,000 lives per year. To add to its stellar performance, imagine if it can also reduce certain types of breast cancers.

Such are the miracles of aspirin, a wonder drug, which is over a century old and yet outperforms most modern drugs. Its simple formulation of only nine carbon, eight oxygen and four hydrogen atoms has the magic ability to “lower the volume” of a critical inflammatory chemical called prostaglandin.