Thalidomide - The Disastrous Drug

In the late 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, thalidomide was a medication that was frequently used to relieve nausea in pregnant women. Thalidomide treatment was shown to cause severe birth abnormalities in thousands of children in the 1960s. Thalidomide was an effective treatment for leprosy and later multiple myeloma, even though its usage was outlawed in the majority of nations at the time. Thalidomid treatment of pregnant leprosy patients has continued to result in deformities in rural areas of the world without major medical surveillance measures. Understanding of molecular targets is being improved through research into the mechanisms of thalidomide action. Safer medications might be created with a deeper understanding of these molecular targets. The thalidomide tragedy marked a turning point in toxicity testing because it compelled American and international regulatory agencies to create systematic toxicity testing protocols. In addition, the use of thalidomide as a developmental biology tool resulted in significant advancements in our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms underlying limb development. It is fitting to review the lessons learnt from the 1960s thalidomide disaster in honour of the Society of Toxicology's 50th anniversary, which also happens to be the same year that thalidomide was removed from the market.