In the 90's Pfizer was working on a new drug for hypertension and angina pectoris called Sildenafil . Initial clinical trials showed it ineffective for angina. When reviewing the list of side effects discovered during clinical trials one stood out. An increase in penile erections.
In 1996 the drug was patented for that purpose and in 1998 it became the first oral drug approved by the FDA for that purpose. By 2001 Viagra had achieved sales of over one billion dollars. Often drugs created for one purpose will end up with new, unexpected uses, in this case it created a new market for oral erectile enhancement medications.
So when confronted with failure in the development of a product be sure to take a long hard look at your results and see if there is another way to use it.
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