The Thalidomide Tragedy: Worst Men-Made Disaster

24.01.2021
764
The Thalidomide Tragedy: Worst Men-Made Disaster

The thalidomide disaster probably destroyed more than 100.000 babiesinjured a million adults.

 

Thalidomide is a  drug that  was developed in the 1950s by the West German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal. The German company Chemie Grünenthal had been soap, and perfume manufacturer. But in 1964, it  diversified  to  exploit  a voracious postwar demand for  antibiotics and sedatives.German firm Grünenthal announced in 1957 that it developed a drug for sleep problems and morning sickness in pregnant women and stated that this drug can be used safely in pregnant women. The active ingredient of the drug, released under the name Contergan, was thalidomide.

  Over time, various side effects that were not recorded began to occur in people using the drug. Side effects such as peripheral neuropathy, weakness, constipation, headache and muscle aches soon became common complaints. But the main devastating factor came from the birth of pregnant women.
Various anomalies were detected in the babies of women who used thalidomide during pregnancy. The most common congenital dysfunction were children born with undeveloped arms and legs. The children had to live with a lot of support equipment due to their imperfect development.
  The firm was behind the Contergan drug to the end. Eventually, these serious side effects started to be heard around the world with the help of the media. 
  In 1962, all Contergan drugs with thalidomide active ingredients were withdrawn from the market. But it was too late for families affected by the medical disaster and for thalidomide victims. Babies born with defects after the tragedy had to continue their lives with a predisposition to various bone disorders and serious heart diseases at later ages.

After the horrible side effects of the drug came to light, some countries that licensed the drug for sale filed a claim for damages against Chemie Grünenthal. Which is also located in the United States and Turkey, was not the disaster some countries that do not license the drug.

Today, thalidomide continues to be used in the treatment of various diseases. After this disaster, radical changes and innovations were made in the control, marketing, and experimentation process of drugs. The supervisory bodies have approved the marketing of the drug only with an auditable risk assessment and mitigation strategy that makes people using the drug aware of the risks.


Also, considered one of the best Bach performers in the world today, Grammy award-winning, 1959-born Thomas
Quasthoff is among the first victims of Thalidomide. You can watch his show below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE:

 

AUTHOR INFO
COMMENTS
  1. Deniz Özgür says:

    That’s really an impressive article. While i was reading i felt very emotional and disturbed at the same time. I’m sorry for all of the victims…