What is thalidomide used for GCSE?
What is thalidomide used for GCSE?
Thalidomide is now used as a treatment for leprosy and bone cancer. Its use is heavily regulated, however, to prevent a repeat of the problems it caused in the last century.
What is the history of thalidomide?
Thalidomide is a drug that was developed in the 1950s by the West German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal GmbH. It was originally intended as a sedative or tranquiliser, but was soon used for treating a wide range of other conditions, including colds, flu, nausea and morning sickness in pregnant women.
What was thalidomide used for in the 1950s?
In the 1950s and 1960s, thalidomide was used to treat morning sickness during pregnancy. But it was found to cause disabilities in the babies born to those taking the drug.
When was thalidomide first used in the UK?
1958 Thalidomide is first licensed for use in the UK. 1961 An Australian doctor, William McBride, writes to the Lancet medical journal after noticing an increase in the number of deformed babies born at his hospital, all to mothers who had taken thalidomide.
Why is thalidomide no longer used?
In November 1961, thalidomide was taken off the market due to massive pressure from the press and public. Experts estimate that thalidomide led to the death of approximately 2,000 children and serious birth defects in more than 10,000 children, about 5,000 of them in West Germany.
What was thalidomide used for originally?
Thalidomide was a widely used drug in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the treatment of nausea in pregnant women. It became apparent in the 1960s that thalidomide treatment resulted in severe birth defects in thousands of children.
Is thalidomide still used?
Authorized uses of thalidomide in the United States Since July 16, 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States authorizes the use of thalidomide (THALOMID®) in the treatment of certain forms of leprosy complications. Since Octobre 26, 2006, its use is also authorized in cases of multiple myeloma.
Is thalidomide still used in the UK?
Thalidomide, the cause of the biggest medical scandal of the last century, is today recommended for use across the NHS. It is the final rehabilitation for a drug that once struck terror into patients when it was prescribed to pregnant women as a treatment for morning sickness in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Thalidomide: the tragedy of birth defects and the effective treatment of disease Thalidomide was a widely used drug in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the treatment of nausea in pregnant women. It became apparent in the 1960s that thalidomide treatment resulted in severe birth defects in thousands of children.
What is thalidomide and is it safe?
Thalidomide was first introduced in the 1950s as a sedative. Because it was deemed to be so safe, it was prescribed to pregnant women to combat the nausea and insomnia associated with morning sickness. Women who took the drug in early pregnancy gave birth to children with severe birth defects such as missing or shortened limbs.
What can we learn from the Thalidomide scandal?
The easy, over-the-counter access to thalidomide prompted many countries to improve their classification and control of medicines. In the UK the 1968 Medicines Act, passed as a result of the thalidomide scandal, made distinctions between prescription drugs, drugs only available in pharmacies and drugs available for general sale.
What is thalidomide used for in pregnancy?
Thalidomide was a widely used drug in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the treatment of nausea in pregnant women. It became apparent in the 1960s that thalidomide treatment resulted in severe birth defects in thousands of children. Though the use of thalidomide was banned in most countries at that …
