Abstract

   

Thalidomide Victims, (Freedhoff, 2014)

First sold in 1957 under the name of Contergan by Chemie Grünenthal, Thalidomide was marketed as a sedative drug curing anxiety and gastric upset, with absolutely no toxic side effects (Thalidomideca, 2016). With reflection it was revealed however that no effectual testing of the drug was carried out (Gray, 2015). 

As a result thousands of pregnant women unknowingly used thalidomide as a therapy for morning sickness, leading to tragedy of upwards of 20,000 children born with sever limb defects, termed phocomelia. Of those whom survive today and who are still fighting for compensation 50 years on, thalidomide remains forever tainted by this crisis, despite its emergence as a successful treatment for many health disorders (Madden, 2015). 

References

Freedhoff, Y. (2014, November 29). Saturday stories: Brazil, Thalidomide, and menu board calories. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://www.weightymatters.ca/2014/11/saturday-stories-brazil-thalidomide-and.html

Gray, G. (2015, December 7). Why did thalidomide’s makers ignore warnings about their drug? Retrieved October 22, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/why-did-thalidomides-makers-ignore-warnings-about-their-drug-47092

Madden, B. (2015, December 8). Why thalidomide survivors have such a tough time getting compensation. Retrieved October 19, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/why-thalidomide-survivors-have-such-a-tough-time-getting-compensation-47164

Thalidomideca. (2016). Thalidomideca. Retrieved 21 October, 2016, from http://www.thalidomide.ca/recognition-of-thalidomide-defects/