Thalidomide

The thalidomide disaster might have happened so long ago that the great majority of Americans know nothing about it.  If you are one of them, I urgently request you to read this article, or one of the many similar accounts you can find online.  Here is an excerpt:


"Thalidomide is a sedative drug discovered at the end of the 50s, which caused a worldwide tragedy. The drug has been prescribed to many pregnant women in order to relieve pregnancy nausea. It was later found that thalidomide caused irreversible damages to the fetus and thousands of children were born with severe congenital malformations. Many of them did not survive more than a few days after they were born."

“What the public did not know is that Grünenthal had no reliable evidence to back up its claims that the drug was safe. They also ignored the increasing number of reports coming in about harmful side-effects as the drug was being used. In fact, starting in 1959 Grünenthal was flooded with complaints from doctors about mild to severe and sometimes permanent nerve damage, especially by elderly people who had used the drug as a sleeping aid.

The company was equally dismissive of concerns related to deformed babies. The drug was widely promoted as an anti-nausea drug for pregnant women experiencing morning sickness. When the company was confronted with reports on malformed babies and suggestions that the malformations could be possibly linked to Thalidomide, they didn’t react. Instead of taking all those reports seriously Grünenthal responded with measures to keep the drug on the market.”

I have spared you any photos of the horrible results of the use of this drug without adequate testing. This dreadful episode in our history is in large part responsible for the strict testing guidelines required before drugs can be sold on the open market.


With our current HHS Secretary bluntly stating that the Trump administration intends to have hundreds of millions of doses of a Covid drug available by the end of the year but that "they may not prove to be safe and effective,"  people had better realize what this sort of thinking can lead to.  Sorry to inflict this story on you, but I think it is important.

Comments

bluzdude said…
You read my mind on this post. This is exactly what this administration will do just as soon as there's a hint of progress in developing a vaccine. They'll rush it out regardless, especially if it's before the election. Then if it turns tragic, they'll do what they usually do... blame someone else.
May 18, 2020 at 7:15 PM
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