Bacteria that are mirror images of existing ones could evade our immune systems, causing serious illness.
Articles on Thalidomide
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Excluding pregnant women from drug trials is standard. But medication use during pregnancy has gone up, and many women are using drugs ‘off-label’ – in ways that haven’t been clinically tested and approved.
As the COVID-19 pandemic fades, we may debate whether public health responses could have been better. But first we need to understand what public health errors are — and are not.
The first report linking thalidomide to birth malformations was made by Australian doctor William McBride. The drug led to thousands of instances of pregnancy loss, neonatal deaths and disability.
As the government’s oldest consumer protection agency, the FDA has long butted up against drugmakers, activists and politicians. But undermining its work could be harmful to patient health and safety.
From thalidomide to resveratrol, molecules with the exact same chemical properties can have drastically different effects in the body depending on how they’re arranged in space.
Many approved drugs work on the body in ways that researchers still aren’t entirely clear about. Seeing this as an opportunity instead of a flaw may lead to better treatments for complex conditions.
Drug repurposing can redeem failed treatments and squeeze out new uses from others. But many pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to retool existing drugs without a high return on investment.
The FDA receives almost half its funding from companies it regulates, such as drug and medical device makers. Is this something you should be concerned about?
Evans is admired for his fearless leadership and tireless campaigning journalism.
The infamous drug can inhibit the body’s inflammatory response, which is why researchers wonder if it can effectively treat COVID-19.
As the measles outbreaks spread, public health officials are trying different measures to curb it. Yet there are limits to what they can do as they balance community safety and personal freedom.
A new book, ‘The Thalidomide Catastrophe,’ raises new questions about the conduct of corporations involved. It is the duty of governments to find out the answers.
Virtually every medical therapy in use today owes its existence to animal experiments. But we can’t assume what works in animals will in humans. And sometimes, the mismatch can be dangerous.
We still don’t know what’s behind four out of every five birth defects. But that can change.
The randomised controlled trial is touted as the gold standard in medical research. But its controlled laboratory conditions are far removed from the messy realities of life.
The MHRA has opened an inquiry on the once popular pregnancy test pills. Did they really cause birth defects in children born in the 1970s?
This was the year of the health review – mental health care, Medicare, private health insurance, the pharmacy industry … and the list goes on. But how much movement was there on policy?
Thalidomide is notorious for causing death and disability but it – and its derivatives – are proving useful for conditions such as leprosy.
The thalidomide tragedy changed how medicines are viewed during pregnancy – not only by pregnant women, but also the wider community.
Top contributors
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Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Mater Health SEQ in conjoint appointment as Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Bond University and as Associate Professor (Clinical), The University of Queensland
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Professor in Developmental Biology, University of Aberdeen
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Associate Professor of History, University of Wollongong
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Professor of Bioethics, Macquarie University
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Associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; York University, Canada; University of Sydney
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Professor of Practice in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
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Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of Victoria
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Health Services Researcher, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
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Manager, Cancer Research Program, Monash University
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Head, Cancer Research Program, Monash University
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Adjunct Professor, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology
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Developmental Biologist, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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Research associate, University of Pretoria
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Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut