1950’s, Thalidomide has been a controversial drug. Since its introduction it has seen its highs and its lows. From devastating birth defects, to a treatment for some life threatening cancers, Thalidomide could be considered the Jeckel and Hyde of the pharmaceutical world. The question that the pharmaceutical world is asking itself now is weather the risk of the possible devastating birth defects that can happen is worth the possible life saving benefits that could be gained. Thalidomide has been
Thalidomide Introduction The calamity of thalidomide is one of the worst disasters in pharmaceutical history. During a post-war era, when people were commonly experiencing insomnia, there was high demand for sedatives like thalidomide. The drug was retailed as a sleeping pill that you could never overdose on. It was even considered safe enough for pregnant women. It helped them with morning sickness. It was “the only non-barbiturate sedative known at the time” (Fintel et al.) which gave the drug
was established after Thalidomide Tragedy that took place in 1960’s. In 1960, Thalidomide became very popular drug for sleeping just like when aspirin was first discovered. Thalidomide was marketed out to 46 countries and was sold as over-the-counter drug. During that time, the drug was said to be safe for pregnant women. An Australian Obstetrician, name Dr. William McBride starting observing elevated levels of morning sickness in pregnant women caused by the drug Thalidomide. Then, when delivering
Thalidomide 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
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
The use of Thalidomide started in 1957 in Germany. It was developed by a German company. It was on the market, from January 1957- December 1961. Once it came out in the stores it became popular in Europe and Germany as aspirin. The bottle that read STRICT WARNING: DO NOT TAKE IF PREGNANT! many still did because they thought it would help with the side effects of being pregnant. It also said DO NOT give to children under twelve years old, but, the mothers still did. Shortly after the debut of this
standards of safety and quality (League, 2014). This essay will attempt to describe why the drug thalidomide was once referred to as the wonder drug and why it was considered a safe drug that could taken by pregnant women. The essay will also discuss one of the hypotheses behind morning sickness and why medical researchers disagree with the term morning sickness. In addition, the reasons why thalidomide is said to cause birth defects will also be examined, and the general purpose of clinical trials
Margaux Brewer Chemistry, p.4 1/12/15 The Thalidomide Tragedy The continuous introduction of new drugs into the pharmaceutical world proves to have immense benefits to society’s treatment of medical issues, however it has also proved to cause disaster. A seamless example of the often terrible events that occur due to quickly advancing medicine is the disaster caused by the drug Thalidomide in the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s. Thalidomide was taken by thousands of pregnant mothers to battle symptoms
Thalidomide was a pharmaceutical sedative and birth control that was distributed primarily during the 1960’s. It was first developed by the company, Grünenthal, based in Stolberg near Aachen, Germany. In the early 1950’s, thalidomide was first clinically tested and later sold to treat respiratory infections. During this time, it was advertised as “Grippex”, containing ingredients such as acetylsalicylic acid and quinine (Mandal, 2015). During these clinical trials, the scientists behind the development
Thalidomide (α- phthalimido-glutarimide) was first marketed in Germany in 1956 as a sedative. In the following few years, it was prescribed in many countries in Europe, Asia, and Australia, to pregnant women in order to alleviate nausea and help them sleep [1]. However, it was banned in 1961 following an epidemic of malformations of the limbs, ears, and of internal organs. The negative effects of thalidomide led to the development of more structured drug regulations and control over drug use and
through the formation of the placenta; these processes are amongst the earliest events to occur during embryogenesis. The following discussion paper will give a brief description of the multiple myeloma. It will then discuss about the history of thalidomide, its pathogenesis, usefulness and side effects on embryo and foetal development. Also, it will discuss about the factors affecting teratogenicity, diagnosis process to detect any defect on unborn baby and general recommendation to the patient.
Good for mom, good for baby!” and continues knitting. Then the second mother takes a pill out and swallows it, beaming, saying “Vitamin B, good for mom, good for baby.” She resumes her knitting. The third mother takes a pill, smiles, and says “Thalidomide… I can’t knit sleeves.” For some, the punchline to this joke falls flat. Others react with shock and disgust. Finding a listener who both understand the joke and thinks that it is funny is quite difficult, but immensely rewarding. Before explaining
student of chemistry, while I was studying optical isomer in an organic chemistry, I got an opportunity to learn about thalidomide (C13H10N2O2) (or widely known as children of thalidomide). The thalidomide disaster is one of the darkest episodes in pharmaceutical research history. After researching about thalidomide I got to know about its mechanism, reason and its consequences. Thalidomide was developed as a sedative and sleeping tablet in 1950s. Researchers of that time discovered it was useful anti-nausea
There was many of opinions against, however, to call for a new law expanding the FDA's authority. This argument was changed by the thalidomide tragedy, in which thousands of babies were born with messed up heads or bodies after their mothers took thalidomide which was put on the market for treatment of nausea during pregnancies. Thalidomide had not been approved for use in the U.S. because of the concerns of an FDA reviewer, Frances Kelsey about thyroid toxicity. However, thousands of
Using animals for research and testing dates all the way back to 384 BC when Greek physician-scientists such as Galen, Erasistratus, and Aristotle conducted experiments on living animals. They used these experiments to help advance the understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology. There is no denying that animal research has contributed to improving human health. Vaccinations against polio, measles, hepatitis and other diseases have all been found thanks to the use of testing on animals. However
Babies born that were exposed to thalidomide show effects such as missing limbs and deformed body parts. It was found to be more harmful to the fetus during the critical parts of development. Thalidomide is currently being used to treat diseases such as AIDS and it is vital that the drug must be used with extreme caution to ensure proper use. Alcohol is another known
Treatment of Animals, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014 Perkel, Jeffrey M. "Animal-Free Toxicology: Sometimes, in Vitro Is Better." Life Science Technologies. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 02 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2014 "The Tragedy of Thalidomide and the Failure of Animal Testing." AFC. Animal Friends Croatia, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014 Watts, Geoff. "Alternatives to Animal Experimentation." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 27 Jan. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2014
is the thalidomide incident. Thalidomide is a medicament drug, first processed in 1957 in Germany, appointed for treating morning illness in pregnant women. The drug was revealed to be teratogenic, causing sincere genetic harm to early embryonic growth and development, leading to limb distortion in babies. Some of the several planned mechanisms of teratogenicity touch on various biological purpose for the (R) - and the (S)-thalidomide enantiomers. In the human body however, thalidomide undergoes racemization
Chronicle. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. "Top Five Shocking Animal Experimentation Facts (Video)." PETA Top Five Shocking Animal Experimentation Facts Video Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. "AFC - The Tragedy of Thalidomide and the Failure of Animal Testing." AFC - The Tragedy of Thalidomide and the Failure of Animal Testing. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. "McClatchy DC." Stimulus Funds Pay for Monkey Research in N.C. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
An ongoing conflict among the human species is that of animal cruelty, whether it be by scientific experiments, tests, or research. I frequently wonder, do the individuals performing these atrocious tasks ask themselves if what he/she is doing is ethically correct? I believe that it is not right to treat animals in such an inhumane manner, but to treat them as our own kind, for they are clever, spirited beings. These helpless animals cannot defend themselves against abuse. In my opinion, it is morally