Thalidomide tragedy

Australia has recently stated that it will formally apologise to the people affected by the “thalidomide tragedy,” more than 6 decades after thalidomide resulted in birth defects in many babies.

About the Thalidomide:

• Thalidomide is a sedative and anti-nauseaover-the-counter drug, that was prescribed to pregnant women in the late 1950s and early 1960s, to alleviate morning sickness, cure anxiety, insomnia, gastritis, and tension.
  • Over-the-counter drugs are drugs that can be taken without the formal prescription of the physician.
• It was first developed in Germany in 1957 and later introduced in several other countries.

About the Thalidomide tragedy:

• The drug had not undergone adequate testing for safety and hence had impacted pregnant mothers and infants.
• The drug was linked to birth defects, such as malformation of limbs, internal organs, and facialfeatures, in infants born to mothers who had taken Thalidomide during pregnancy.
  • The deformities were characterized by shortened or absent limbs.
• In 1961, the connection between Thalidomide and birth defects was conclusively established, leading to the immediate withdrawal of the drug from the market.
  • This marked one of the most rapid and extensive drug withdrawals in the history.
• After its ban, it later on proved to be a useful treatment for leprosy and multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. 

Ref: Source