Three scientists who discovered natural-based remedies against parasites that cause malaria and river blindness won the Nobel Prize of Medicine on Monday.
The compounds - called artemisinin and ivermectin - are used by millions of people around the world and have saved countless lives.
Ivermectin -which now is used to fight pests from bed bugs and lice to serious diseases such as lymphatic filariasis - was derived from naturally occurring bacteria in soil.
The winners - from Japan, China and the United States - worked separately to find medicines that were synthesized into powerful and effective drugs.
"These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually.
The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable," the Nobel committee said.