Thalidomide

Thalidomide is a pharmaceutical drug initially introduced in the 1950s by the German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal. It was marketed as a mild sleeping aid safe even for pregnant women. However, it was soon discovered that thalidomide caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies born to mothers who had taken the drug during pregnancy. This led to one of the biggest medical scandals and drug recalls in history.

History

Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in Germany under the trade name Contergan. The drug was advertised as a "wonder drug" for insomnia, cough, cold and headache. However, in late 1961, an Australian doctor named William McBride wrote a letter to the editor of The Lancet in which he explained that he had noticed an increase in deformed babies being born at his hospital - all to mothers who had taken thalidomide.

Effects

Thalidomide causes birth defects by inhibiting angiogenesis, the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels. This is a critical process in fetal development. The most common defects observed were phocomelia, a condition in which the long bones in the limbs fail to develop properly, and amelia, a similar condition in which the limbs fail to develop at all.

Current use

Despite its history, thalidomide is still used today as a treatment for a number of conditions, including multiple myeloma, erythema nodosum leprosum, and in some cases, HIV/AIDS. However, its use is strictly controlled due to its teratogenic effects.

See also

• List of pharmaceutical scandals
• Drug recall
• Teratogen