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The Thalidomide Drug
In the late 1950’s and 1960’s pregnant women across the globe were taking a drug recommended for the relief of symptoms caused by morning sickness – thalidomide (the wonder drug of the 1960’s. ... However, it wasn’t long before thalidomide was described as being “the most notorious human teratogen. ...
Thalidomide was released into circulation in West Germany on the 1st October 1957 by the pharmaceutical industry, under the title Contergan. ... Thalidomide is now a forbidden drug to pregnant or nursing mothers with very strong warnings in every package that is sold. Many years of research has established that thalidomide does however, enhances the immune system, can inhibit (or stimulate) HIV replication and can also inhibit the growth of cancerous tissue or even hinder the development of certain cancers all together.
Thalidomide produces major malformations and in extreme cases this may result in missing limbs. ... Babies effected by Thalidomide that are now adults have had no other choice than to carry on with their lives and to do this they have had to adapt according to their affliction. ... Even though thalidomide has proved to be an effective treatment for leprosy, symptoms in patients suffering from Aid’s and several other disorders, it must still be monitored very carefully because foetal exposure may still occur. ... It took a long time before anyone noticed the link between thalidomide and the defects it was causing in unborn babies and nursing babies. ... It wasn’t long before he came to the conclusion that thalidomide was the origin of this condition. ... It was eventually established that there was nothing short of 3,000 babies affected by thalidomide. ...
Thalidomide other wise known as á- (N-phthalimido) glutarimide has the empirical formula C13H10N2O4 and it’s molecular weight is 258. ... Thalidomide is available in 50mg capsules that are to be taken orally. The effective ingredient in the capsules is thalidomide and the inactive ingredients are stearic acid, gelatin, anhydrous lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, colloidal anhydrous silica, and polyvinylpyrrolione.
Thalidomide:
The drug at the root of the malformations in unborn children (the ‘wonder’ drug of the 1960’s. ...
The structure of thalidomide has to be taken into account because of the specificity of protein chains and hence the causes and effects of this need to be established.
Approximate Word count = 1810
Approximate Pages = 7.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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