Thalidomide Approved by the FDA

Researchers Gain New Insights into the Mystery of Thalidomide-Caused Birth Defects

In 1957 a drug, thalidomide, was introduced to help relieve pregnant women of morning sickness. It turns out, this drug had some major side-effects that caused sever malformations in developing fetuses. These "thalidomide babies" had many defects including shortened upper limbs; as shown below:

The drug was finally discontinued in 1961.

In the 1990s, the FDA approved the use of thalidomide for multiple myeloma and some complications of leprosy. The drugs powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects actually will help you feel better, but they have horrible side-effects. There is still study going on about whether it can be used for arthritis, breast cancer, and more than 30 other diseases.

Recently Tokyo Institute of Technology have been conducting experiments on zebra fish and chick embryos to see why exactly thalidomide causes birth defects. Previous studies suggest that the side-effects are caused by thalidomide's therapeutic effects on inflammation, blood vessel formation, and cell stress.

Despite the past with thalidomide, and with ongoing research, it is surprising to see that the FDA actually has approved supervised, modicum use of the drug.