Thalidomide

This is a very good example of a drug that was not thoroughly tested before it was widely used. The results were devastating.

REMEMBER

Thalidomide is a drug that was developed as a sleeping pill. It was also found to be effective in relieving morning sickness in pregnant women. However, it had not been tested for this use.
Unfortunately, many babies born to mothers who took the drug were born with severe limb abnormalities. The drug was then banned, but more recently is being used successfully to treat leprosy.