Why did the FDA reject thalidomide?

Why did the FDA reject thalidomide?

After a thorough review, Kelsey rejected the application for thalidomide on the grounds that it lacked sufficient evidence of safety through rigorous clinical trials. Today we take it for granted that the FDA wisely spurned an unsafe drug.

What is thalidomide approved for in the US?

In July 1998, the FDA approved the marketing of thalidomide, and today the drug is used to treat inflammation associated with leprosy and also acts as a chemotherapeutic agent for patients with cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow (multiple myeloma).

Is thalidomide still prescribed?

Authorized uses of thalidomide in the United States Since July 16, 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States authorizes the use of thalidomide (THALOMID®) in the treatment of certain forms of leprosy complications. Since Octobre 26, 2006, its use is also authorized in cases of multiple myeloma.

When was thalidomide taken off market?

In November 1961, thalidomide was taken off the market due to massive pressure from the press and public. Experts estimate that thalidomide led to the death of approximately 2,000 children and serious birth defects in more than 10,000 children, about 5,000 of them in West Germany.

Was thalidomide FDA approved in Canada?

As unbelievable as it can appear, thalidomide was legally available in Canada for three full months after being withdrawn from its origin country. To this day, in Canada, there are more than a hundred persons living with malformations that are attributable to thalidomide.

What does the Medicines Act 1968 cover?

It governs the control of medicines for human use and for veterinary use, which includes the manufacture and supply of medicines, and the manufacture and supply of (medicated) animal feeding stuffs.

Who was the manufacturer of thalidomide?

Thalidomide was developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company CIBA in 1953 and then was introduced by the German pharmaceutical company Chemi Grunenthal in 1956 [Rajkumar, 2004].

Is thalidomide prescribed in the US?

The drug was not approved in the United States in the 1960s, but as many as 20,000 Americans were given thalidomide in the 1950s and 1960s as part of two clinical trials operated by the American drug makers Richardson-Merrell and Smith, Kline & French.

Who should not take thalidomide?

It should not be used in women of childbearing age unless there are no other alternatives available. If thalidomide is prescribed, women of childbearing age must abstain from sexual intercourse or use two effective contraceptive methods during treatment.

Who banned thalidomide?

Frances Oldham Kelsey

Frances Oldham Kelsey
Occupation Pharmacologist and physician
Known for Preventing thalidomide from being marketed in the United States
Spouse(s) Fremont Ellis Kelsey (m. 1943, d. 1966)
Children 2

Was there a thalidomide lawsuit?

A lawsuit filed by more than 100 people in Australia and New Zealand who suffered birth defects caused by the drug Thalidomide has been settled. British company Diageo, which did not distribute the drug but now owns the firm that did, agreed to pay $81m (£49m), lawyers of claimants say.