Sorry to her victims thalidomide, a drug that in the years 1950-60 caused deformities in thousands of children around the world, was officially requested by the Australian government today. “We owe the Australian victims of thalidomide an apology,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told victims in the galleries of parliament on the 62nd anniversary of its withdrawal from the market.
“Today Australia is finally apologizing,” he continued. “This apology concerns one of the darkest chapters in our history.”
Described at the time as a “miracle drug”, thalidomide had been prescribed since 1956 as a sedative to relieve nausea in pregnant women.
It was widely used around the world and had terrible effects on fetuses before it was withdrawn from the market in 1961: between 10,000 and 20,000 babies were born without parts of their arms or legs, with their hands or feet sticking straight out of their torsos.
Australian obstetrician William McBride was one of the first doctors to sound the alarm in 1961, finding that women were more likely to give birth to babies suffering from growth retardation or malformations after taking this drug.
According to the Australian government and as reported by Agence France-Presse and Agence France-Presse, around 150 thalidomide victims are participating in the Australian support program.
Source: News Beast
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