Thalidomide was completely safe, even during pregnancy
| Thalidomide was completely safe, even during pregnancy | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Thalidomide, the sedative sold from 1957 as Contergan and Distaval, was completely safe and could be taken by pregnant women for morning sickness." | |
| Domain | Health & Medicine |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1957 |
| Origin | Marketing by German manufacturer Chemie Grünenthal and its licensees, including Distillers in Britain |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-30 |
| Further reading: books on Health & Medicine | |
German company Chemie Grünenthal launched thalidomide in 1957 as a sedative it described as non-toxic. It was sold in dozens of countries and used for morning sickness. In Britain, Distillers advertised that it could be given "with complete safety to pregnant women and nursing mothers."
The drug caused severe birth defects, including missing or shortened limbs.
What the evidence shows
- Harm. An estimated 10,000 or more children were born with thalidomide-related impairments worldwide, and many more pregnancies ended in miscarriage or stillbirth.
- Warnings. In 1961, German doctor Widukind Lenz and Australian doctor William McBride independently linked the drug to birth defects. Grünenthal withdrew it in Germany in November 1961, after having received reports of nerve damage and other problems.
- The US exception. FDA reviewer Frances Oldham Kelsey refused to approve thalidomide in the United States because the safety data were inadequate, sparing most American families.
- Apology. Grünenthal issued its first public apology in 2012, more than 50 years later. Survivors' groups criticized it as inadequate.
Why it matters
A drug was marketed as safe without testing its effects in pregnancy. The disaster led to modern drug-approval rules requiring evidence of safety and effectiveness.
Gaslighting Mothers were assured the drug was completely safe; when harms emerged, families faced years of denial, a case of corporate gaslighting. The word comes from Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play Gas Light and the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband dims the gas lamps and insists his wife is imagining it. Where the word comes from · More gaslighting cases
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration, "Frances Oldham Kelsey: Medical reviewer famous for averting a public health tragedy."
- Science Museum, London, "Thalidomide," history collection.
- BBC News, "Thalidomide maker Gruenenthal apologises," September 1, 2012.