Reactions to the thalidomiders’ difference contributed – and continue to contribute – to their negative well-being and deteriorating health.
Lynette Rowe’s lawyers successfully negotiated a multimillion dollar settlement, but not every compensation case is that successful.
Julian Smith/AAP Image
Decades have passed and yet the issue of financial compensation for the remaining “survivors” of the thalidomide tragedy has, in many instances, remained unresolved.
Michael Magazanik (left) with lead plaintiff Lynette Rowe, her mother and lawyer Peter Gordon during the trial in Melbourne.
AAP/Genevieve Gannon
Journalist-turned-lawyer Michael Magazanik worked on recent Australian thalidomide lawsuits. As part of our series on the drug, he spoke to Ian Freckelton about the book he wrote, based on the case.
Thalidomide was used by the pregnant women – the population that turned out to be most vulnerable to its risks.
Reuters pictures
Thalidomide’s manufacturer, Chemie Grünenthal, marketed the drug as safe for pregnant women despite reports it was causing malformations in newborns. Why such blatant denial?
Led a major campaign in the 1970s.
David Shankbone/Flickr
Sir Harold Evans talks to Richard Sambrook about The Sunday Times’ moral campaign against thalidomide’s manufacturers, the fight for political validation and the rise of investigative journalism.
Thalidomide was initially marketed for daytime use, first as a flu treatment, then as ain aid to reduce stress and anxiety.
1950sUnlimited/Flickr
Thalidomide caused thousands of spontaneous abortions and left more than 10,000 children severely disabled. What guarantee is there that the same thing can’t occur again today?
Research published today has found an association between commonly used antidepressants and birth defects. But pregnant women face greater harms from stopping their medication abruptly.
The centuries-long practice of blood letting was finally proven to be ineffective, thanks to clinical trials in the 19th century.
The Medieval Cookbook/Wikimedia Commons
MEDICAL HISTORIES - The final instalment in our short series discusses the evolution of evidence-based medicine. Like bleeding, doctors’ intuition was a central part of medical practice until it was categorically…
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