magic bullet

Term sometimes used for a drug that specifically targets certain cells or tissues in the body, such as a small collection of cancerous cells (see cancer) or cells that have been invaded by a virus. Such drugs can be made in various ways, but monoclonal antibodies are increasingly being used to direct the drug to a specific target.

The term was originally associated with the German chemist Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915) who discovered the first specific drug against syphilis.