Medicine's Tragic Misstep: The Thalidomide Disaster

1085 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Advantages and disadvantages of animal testing medicine

The Thalidomide Disaster Throughout many generations the success of medicine has been dog-eared throughout history, from penicillin being created through colonized bacteria on an agar plate to chemotherapy being used to combat the ailments of cancer, we as a society rely a great deal on the effectiveness of medicine. Due to this realization one can agree that it is imperative that the medications that are being distributed and placed on the pharmaceutical market are tested and analyzed at all angles and perspectives to ensure they work effectively and successfully resulting in moderate to no side effects. The progressive industry of medicine has greatly increased since the early nineties thanks to the advancement in medical technology making …show more content…

for example, the animal testing that allowed the drug to be produced never included testing on animals who were pregnant, so they had no idea of the side effects this drug would cause on pregnant women. However, despite this lack of medication testing the drug was still placed on the German market in 1957, thalidomide was marketed as an over the counter prescription and was advertised as being “completely safe” while falsely emphasizing its safety “even during pregnancy” although they had never tested the medication during …show more content…

In order to fully understand how certain drugs’ cause birth defects it is important to understand how environmental factors affect a developing fetus. When a baby is in the fetal period of development a placenta surrounds the fetus, providing nourishment and also protecting the fetus from harmful substances. This permeable barrier allows for some substances to enter based on a molecule's size, charge and solubility, it is also important to understand that a normal dose of medication for an adult does not affect a fetus in a similar way. Gideon Koren shares many factors that illustrate how and why a drug would affect a fetus more powerfully “…Second, the fetus’s detoxification and immune systems are still immature, unable to clear drugs and other chemicals from its system as effectively as the body of an adult. And third, the fetus is developing so rapidly that even a small disruption induced by a chemical can have far-reaching effects.” These factors help prescribers understand how medications can affect a

Show More
Related

  • Advancements in Medicine: The Black Death

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Middle Ages, medicine was limited. This was critical because in 1348-1350 the Black Death killed millions, nearly one third of the population. Physicians had no idea what was causing diseases or how to stop them ("Medicine in the Middle"). The Catholic Church told its people the illness was punishment from God for their sins (Gates 9). Some of the only procedures doctors could perform was letting blood by using leeches, and mix ‘medicines’ using herbs, spices, and resins (Rooney 106-107). Other medicine was administered by drinks, ointments, poultices, baths, and purges (Rooney 120). One hundred years later, when Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, many scholars moved to Italy, where they freely exchanged ideas. With them the scholars brought their libraries of books, giving European scholars access to the Greek and Latin culture. As new ways of thinking spread from Italy across Europe, this time period became known as the Renaissance, which was an era of discovery. As explorers returned with new discoveries and information, Europeans expanded their knowledge about astronomy, botany, and geography. Scientists like Copernicus and Galileo studied the world using observation and experimentation. Thanks to Gutenberg’s printing press, this new information was available to anyone who could read. For this reason the ideal Renaissance man was expected to be a well-rounded scientist, artist, mathematician, and philosopher all in one. The way people thought about medicine changed during this era. These changes brought about unique surgical methods, instruments, medicines, and practices, with a a few notable people. The Renaissance era of discovery did much for the world of medicine.

    Read More

  • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome ( Nas )

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    NAS has turned into an epidemic espicially in the state of Tennessee a little more than 320 babies were born with NAS in 2013. Tennessee was the first state to start keeping track of the number of cases of NAS. NAS occurs when pregnant women take drugs such as heroin, codeine, oxycodone, methadone, or buprenorphine (“Babies are being born addicted to drugs”). This happens when the substances pass through the placenta that connects the baby to its mother. Then the baby becomes dependent on the drug like the mother. Hospitals began treating these cases with morphine, by administering a dosage of morphine every few hours as needed and reducing the dosage until the baby was better. During this process doctors need to keep a look out for the babies since the morphine can cause them to stop breathing. A baby born with NAS usually suffers from low birth weight and respiratory problems. Heroin and cocaine are some of the most common drugs being abused, and they both have short and long term effects other than withdrawal symptoms: Such as ph...

    Read More

  • The Effects of Prenatal Cocaine-Exposure On Cognitive Development

    1686 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many factors that are integrated into the successful development of a child from Prenatal growth into toddlerhood. Teratogens (outside factors) have a great impact on the babies’ inutero development. Some outside factors like second-hand smoke, smog, or fumes from cleaning chemicals can cause negative effects on the child inside the womb. A few major affects from teratogens could result in low birth weight, head circumference, slow physical growth as well as an effect on mental, behavioral and motor skills (Berk, 2003). The environment around the mother provides many of these outside factors affecting the baby’s growth. But the main link to teratogens during the gestation period is most likely the mother. Daniel S. Messinger and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 2.8% of pregnant women admitted to using illicit drugs during their pregnancy (1996). Through illicit drug use, tobacco use and alcohol use, the mother disrupts her baby’s growth with possibly permanent damage.

    Read More

  • Environmental Influences On Prenatal Development

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just as drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and crystal meth affect the mother, it also affects the child. Babies that are born to drug using mothers are called “drug babies” and just like their mother they become addicted to the drugs causing behavior problems during their childhood. They can also have birth defects, premature birth, and are usually underweight. Babies that are born to cocaine using mothers are called “crack babies” and they face the risk of a stroke leading to brain damage. Teratogenic medications such as some antibiotics, cancer fighting medicines, blood thinners, and acne fighting medicines such as Accutane can all cause birth

    Read More

  • Experiments with Draize and LD50 on Animals

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Biology, chemistry and physiology have many variations that makes the experiments performed in creatures inaccurate to humans (Barnard). Because of this, flawed findings human live have been lost or put at risk. For example, a medicine called Thalidomide for “pregnant women suffering from morning sickness” was first tested on animals and was declared safe for human use (Park 16). In ten years after the released of this medicine about ten-thousand birth defects we...

    Read More

  • The Effects of Teratogens on an Unborn Embryo

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ve physical deformities, decreased birth weight and respiratory difficulties. The drugs can also carry adverse behavioral effects, including high pitched crying, abnormal sleep patterns and decreased attention. Studies have determined that some infants can rectify these behavioral inconsistencies, but that the change is dependent upon a responsive caregiver in a nurturing environment.

    Read More

  • Essay On Diethylstilbestrol

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine being in a family that is expecting their first child. Articles in the newspaper are showing how the chances of miscarriages are increasing. As soon as anxiety starts to take over, a flip of a page in the newspaper changes everything. An article about a new drug called Diethylstilbestrol seems to be on the next page. Diethylstilbestrol, also known as DES, is a medicine that helps prevent women from having pregnancy complications including miscarriages. “This is amazing!” one may say, but do they really know the consequences of taking this new medication? Diethylstilbestrol was a huge turning point for most pregnant women in the early twentieth century; however, it had many underlying negative consequences that would later affect the mother and child with the word no one ever wants to hear; cancer.

    Read More

  • Teratogens and Developmental Psychology

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    Exposure to medications or drugs during pregnancy can result in abnormalities such as withdrawal symptom, respiratory problems, growth retardation, developmental retardation, congenital heart defects, caudal deficiency and CNS defects. Known prenatal birth defects resulting from environmental toxins such as Lead, mercury or PCB’s are miscarriage, CNS damage, spasticity, mental retardation, skin discoloration and low birth weight.

    Read More

  • Pharmacokinetic And Pharmacodynamics Essay

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we discussed above that pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics can be seen as two sides of the same coin in order to gain better understanding of their efficacy and safety profiles.” Generally it is possible to make fairly robust predictions of the pharmacokinetic profile in man using in vitro systems and preclinical pharmacokinetic studies. A previously published survey on the causes of failure in drug development indicated that inappropriate pharmacokinetics were a major cause such as; factors as low bioavailability due to high extraction or poor absorption characteristics, short elimination half-life leading to short duration of action and excessive variability due to genetic or environmental factors. This observation has led to an increased emphasis on pharmacokinetic input to the drug discovery process throughout the pharmaceutical industry. However, it is important to realise that this may only permit the rejection of compounds to b...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Pharmaceutical Industry

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    For a drug to get to market it must go through several stages of research and development (Abbott and Vernon). Starting with discovery research, preclinical testing on animals, three phases of clinical trials on humans, and finally FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval (Abbott and Vernon). Out of several thousands of drugs only a few will make it to the FDA approval stage (Abbott and Vernon). Testing is a highly regulated, time consuming, and expensive process. From beginning to end the process can take fifteen years and less than one of five compounds will make it to market where it is still not guaranteed to succeed (Abbott and

    Read More

  • Animal Testing Persuasive Essay

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Developmental toxicity testing involves giving pregnant female animals, usually rats and rabbits, doses of chemicals administered orally. The animals are killed just prior to delivery and the fetuses are examined for any sign of toxic effects by the test substance” (excerpt from aavs.org). The above passage is just one of the many heinous experiments conducted in labs. About 95% of small animals such as mice, ra...

    Read More

  • Teratogens and Their Effects on Fetus Development

    1998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chambers, C. D., Polifka, J. E., & Friedman, J. M. (2008). Drug safety in pregnant women and their babies: ignorance not bliss. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 83(1), 181-183.

    Read More

  • Thalidomide Research Paper

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thalidomide is a sleeping sedative (The First Appearance Of Thalidomide, n.d.). The drug was “similar to barbiturates with relatively low known toxicity in adults (Breaking News Thalidomide, n.d.)”. Thalidomide was marketed as safe for pregnant women, who used it to combat morning sickness (The First Appearance Of Thalidomide, n.d.). The drug was developed by West German Pharmaceutical Company, Chemie Grünenthal GmbH, because the company wanted to expand the antibiotics it produced (The First Appearance Of Thalidomide, n.d.). “It was an inclusive anti-convulsive drug” (The First Appearance Of Thalidomide, n.d.). Thalidomide is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and metabolized through a no enzymatic pathway, undergoing spontaneous

    Read More

  • Thalidomide Research Paper

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, regardless of the outcome, thalidomide is proven to affect our health. In the 1960’s, thalidomide was one of the most dangerous pharmaceuticals on the market. It started off as a drug, prescribed to mothers experiencing mild or severe morning sickness as a result of their pregnancies. It was later discovered by toxicologists that thalidomide was a teratogen. The most common effect of thalidomide to the embryos was peripheral neuropathy (See figure 3). This is a disorder is the result of damage to your peripheral nerves, and often causes weakness, numbness and pain, usually in one’s hands and feet (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Peter G. Wells, a scientist who specializes in toxicology concluded from his extensive research on thalidomide that the reason it causes birth defects, including peripheral neuropathy, is because is breaks down. He discovered that once a small dose of thalidomide has been ingested, it breaks down into many different compounds, which last approximately 40 times longer than thalidomide itself. These compounds ultimately lead to the production of highly toxic forms of oxygen, called "reactive oxygen species," (ROS) including hydrogen peroxide and free radicals that alter disrupt normal embryonic development, causing birth defects (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 2011). Thalidomide negatively impacted a mother's health because it invades the embryo and causes mutations to the genes of the limbs. Thalidomide is also a neurotoxin because peripheral neuropathy causes severe pain and stabbing sensations that are altered signals from the brain to the limbs, causes by the compounds that break down from the initial

    Read More

  • How Do Drugs Affect Women

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    In addition, the risk of still birth is two to three times greater in women who smoke tobacco or marijuana, taking prescription pain relievers or use of illegal drugs during pregnancy. Using substances during pregnancy, the baby may experience withdrawal after birth, a condition called neo-natal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Research has shown that NAS can occur with a woman's use of opioids, alcohol, caffeine and some prescription sedatives. This type of symptoms depends of the drug used, how long and how often the mother used, hoe her body breaks don the drug and if the baby was born full term or prematurely. These can lead to long term effects such as low birth weight, birth defects, small head size, premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome, development delays, and problems with learning, memory and emotional control.

    Read More

More about Medicine's Tragic Misstep: The Thalidomide Disaster

Open Document