Essay On Thalidomide

It was mainly used to treat the common symptoms associated with pregnancy. It was also used for epilepsy, however, there was a lack of empirical evidence supporting its use as an appropriate measure for epilepsy. The drug received an abundance of praise for its ability to relieve nausea and when 1957 hit, it was branded as a suitable treatment for morning sickness. On the surface, it did well for the mother but indirect affects on the baby in the mother’s womb were occurring. It wasn’t until hundreds of cases of malformations in children came about, that we realized it was correlated with mothers who had taken thalidomide during their pregnancy. In all, 8,000-12,000 babies were affected and only about 5,000 surviving after childhood. Some might assume that the dated year of this case is the reason why it might’ve happened and that science wouldn’t let this happen in the 20th century. The case of Vioxx, which was launched in 1999, proves that safety is not

Americans must wait up to 19 years after a discovered treatment before they can participate in benefits of a new medication (Philipson & Sun, 2008). The regulatory process drug manufacturers need to endure before releasing potentially life-saving medication is an extremely expensive, time-consuming process. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is the main department of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responsible for the safety of drugs (both prescription and over-the-counter) sold in the United States (Food and Drug Administration, 2011). This department scrutinizes the testing of new drugs and

How would one feel if one found out that their newborn child has birth defect such as mental retardation or seizures just hours of being born, that their babies cannot live a normal life because of the decisions you made during the prenatal care? Is it really worth it? There has been an exponential increase in the amount of babies being exposed to drugs before they are even born in the United States. Further evidence sparks this controversial issue practically showing that drug use by pregnant women is evidently considered child abuse. By defining the necessity to realize the drastic consequences of a newborn being stimulated by prenatal drug ingestion, by refuting counterarguments that fear of legal ramifications will hinder pregnant women

Many people might wonder why kids are born differently than what most consider “normal.” Multiple substances are effects that cause these fetus to develop wrong and not in usual routine that is normally seen in pregnancies. If a pregnant woman chose the wrong temptation and consumed substances that are known to cause damage and can be fatal to a baby, these mothers are making the worst mistake of taking the life of their own child away before the baby can experience what life is. Carrying a baby in the womb is one of the most heaviest challenges a woman can face and many females go wrong by falling into various temptations by not having enough information in pregnancies and going on with their daily lifestyle instead of learning about instant fetal deaths.

A teratogen is a substance that acts as a toxin that can cause a birth defect. A teratogen can be a prescribed medication, a street drug, alcohol use, or even a disease present in the mother that can cause an increased risk for the baby to be born with a birth defect. Some teratogens may cause birth defects that are noticed immediately at birth and some you can’t determine for several years. Usually the more and longer the developing fetus is exposed to teratogens the worse the consequences will be.

The unregulated sales of Thalidomide also caused emotional distress and hardship for the future lives of mothers and their infants. The fatal drug 's side effects were displayed in pregnant women’s newborn babies. Infants affected with Thalidomide were born with limb reduction anomalies, congenital heart disease, ear malformations, and ocular abnormalities. The potential to live a long life was inhibited by the handicapped ailments each infant received. This created a lot of health expenses and difficulty obtaining an education. It is also very physically-challenging to perform everyday tasks causing many victims to often experience guilt and depression when realizing how unfortunate their circumstances

After reviewing the article it is clear that more needs to be done to create transparency in the study of drugs and public awareness. As a doctor in Canada Dr. Navindra has a right to access and study information so he can provide due diligence to his patients. If the study found that this drug was harmful to pregnant mothers,

In general, with every pregnancy there is a 3-5% chance of having a baby with a birth defect. If a woman takes Thalidomide during her first trimester of pregnancy, the chance of her giving birth to a child with a birth defect increased to a 20%+ chance and the fetal and infant death rate is estimated to be 40% or more due to severe birth defects. (Thalidomide Side Effects on Babies). A portion of the children who suffer from birth defects caused by Thalidomide also suffer from developmental disabilities such as autism. Thalidomide victim survivors still suffer from these symptoms today. How does Thalidomide create all of these issues? The answer is science. The placenta is a very important organ that develops in the womb during pregnancy. The placenta nourishes the baby through through the umbilical cord and gets rid of all waste. The placenta is the first line of defense for the baby. It is a barrier that many harmful substances do not have the ability to cross. Before a pharmaceutical is offered to

To start, the results of animal testing cannot be accurately assumed safe for human use. In 1960 an organisation known as Animal Friends Croatia created a drug called Thalidomide which eased morning sickness for pregnant women. Before being sold to the public, it was tested on multiple different types of species and was

(Lancet 815) Because of the FDA’s law regarding drug testing the US stayed unharmed when it came to thalidomide poisoning, showing the importance of making it legally necessary to test the effects of drugs on animals before giving it to humans.

In the late 1950s, the Thalidomide drug was used in Europe to treat morning sickness in pregnant women among other things. This study involved manufacturing company providing samples of this drug to physicians and compensating them to study the benefits and results of this drug. Although allegedly this drug did not cause any harm to the mother the fetus suffered severe damage as a result. There were thousands of children born with

Common types of medication include POM (prescription only medication) which can be obtained from a pharmacist only if prescribed by a doctor. These could include anti-depressants which are very common. Anti-depressants work by selecting receptors in the brain and controls levels of serotonin. They come under the group 'SSRIS' (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Over the counter medicines (OTC) may include things like paracetamol or ibuprofen, which are everyday painkillers. Something like paracetamol inhibits the production of pain and inflammation-causing chemicals called prostaglandins.

There are a number of environmental influences that have the potential of affecting the development of the baby during the prenatal period. These are called teratogens. As far as how much of an effect the teratogens has, depends on the factors of “dose, heredity, other negative influences and age” (Berk 66). The main teratogens are prescription/non-prescription drugs, illegal drugs, tobacco, environmental pollution, and infectious diseases. Since the early 1940’s the developmental effects of prescription/nonprescription drugs such as ihalidomide and diethylstilbestrol have been well documented. Some of the effects were “gross deformities of limbs and genital abnormalities/malformation of the genitals” (66). Babies of users doing illegal drugs

Why it is important in our society to know what teratogen is, and some ways to prevent this birth defect in our society. Teratogen is a agent that disturbs the development of an embryo. Well, what exactly causes these disturbances in the embryo? By taking medicine during pregnancy, medicine prescribe to new mothers can cause abnormality in pregnancy. Although many women take medications during pregnancy, the medicine prescribe can be harmful. A example may be a woman during pregnancy comes across morning sickness; therefore, she may ask her doctor to prescribe medicine to treat her morning sickness. A common medicine to take during the 60's was thalidomide. However, over the years researchers found that thalidomide caused partial absence

Another question we come across in this case is "Should these pharmaceutical companies have a moral obligation to make the drugs available to the people who they performed clinical trials on?". Again we clearly should see that the pharmaceutical companies should allow the access of these drugs to the people that are being used to test their products. There is a huge risk for these people who are taking a new drug, not knowing exactly what the outcome can be and are merely treated as guinea pigs for the