The "Wonder Drug" that Killed Babies

By: Joshua Lev Krieger and Tom Nicholas and Matthew Preble

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Synopsis: "During the late 1950s and very early 1960s, thalidomide was considered a “wonder drug.”1 It could be used by patients suffering from sleeplessness or related issues, such as anxiety and depression, with apparently no risk from misuse or overdose.2 Pregnant women began taking thalidomide to alleviate severe morning sickness, and one user noted that “within a day, I was able to eat again.”3 Because the potential market was wide, Chemie Grünenthal (Grünenthal), the West German firm that owned thalidomide, was keen to promote the drug.4 One observer noted how Grünenthal claimed that it “could be ‘given with complete safety to pregnant women and nursing mothers without any adverse effect on mother and child.’”5 Another reporter said it was “marketed as ‘safer than sugar drops’ . . . .”6 Consumers could buy the drug through Grünenthal subsidiaries and licensees in 46 countries, and it was sold under such brand names as Contergan, Distaval, and Kevadon.7"