Thalidomide pills were prescribed in the late 1950s for morning sickness and as a sedative. New Jersey-based Celgene Corp. won Food and Drug Agency approval to use the drug for a painful side-effect of leprosy known as erythema nodosum leprosum. It was banned in 1962 after causing birth defects.
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History of Thalidomide —
Brett Nielsen, 4, practices writing with his artificial arm in 1964. His birth defect was caused by Thalidomide.
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History of Thalidomide —
Members of the German public prosecutor's office announce on March 15, 1967, that pharmaceutical company executives will go on trial over the Thalidomide case.
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History of Thalidomide —
Children affected by Thalidomide jump on tires at the playground of the city run day care center for children suffering from dysmelia in Cologne, Germany, on March 24, 1968.
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History of Thalidomide —
Elizabeth Buckle, 7, one of many children affected by the drug Thalidomide, plays the xylophone on November 15, 1968.
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History of Thalidomide —
Eddie Freeman, 13, opens a door with a piece of string in this 1973 image.
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History of Thalidomide —
Phillipa Bradbourne uses her feet to play with a toy.
