The Thalidomide Tragedy: The Event That Gave Rise to Modern Drug Safety Assessment
Thalidomide is a drug that was first commercialized in the 1950s, mainly as a morning-sickness treatment for pregnant women. However, the drug was soon observed to produce severe birth defects when consumed during pregnancy, resulting in around 10.000 affected infants worldwide (1). This medical catastrophe has served as an early example on why medicines have to go under strict testing before being commercialized and continue to be monitored overtime, setting the principles of current...
