Remember the thalidomide tragedy ?

The long-suffering poor would warmly welcome the new regulations making it mandatory for medical prescriptions to be issued in generic names and not in brand names. The multi-national drug companies would surely be disturbed. It appears the GMOA too is somewhat peeved for reasons best known to themselves.

There is no denying the drug industry's contribution to the improvement of the world health services. Nevertheless, its track record is not all that lily white. Let me record one of the darkest chapters in pharmaceutical history. In the late fifties the drug thalidomide was widely marketed in Europe. It was advertised as the "sleeping pill of the century!" Thousands of pregnant women took it for insomnia, tension and nausea.

The drug was withdrawn from the market some years later when it caused around 12,000 infant malformations, mostly in Germany. Nearly half the deformed babies died at birth. Shockingly, it was revealed that no proper tests had been carried out to determine the drug’s impact on the foetus.

The babies were born with flipper-like arms and legs. In some cases their eyes, ears and even internal organs were damaged. In the US, Frances Kelsey, a young recruit to the Food and Drug Administration resisted great pressure in rejecting the application to market the drug. She was deeply concerned of the adverse reports coming from Europe.

Despite this, the US manufacturer somehow managed to distribute samples to over thousand doctors and over 20,000 women took the drug. Fortunately only a few babies were affected. Frances Kelsey was later awarded a medal by President Kennedy. This sad episode made many countries tighten regulations regarding drug testing. Somewhat redeeming was that thalidomide was later used in treating leprosy patients.

By Asoka Weerakoon, Kandy