Thalidomide: The life-saving drug that caused a pharmaceutical nightmare | Orbitals 204
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English - October 08, 2019 20:28 - 14 minutes - 20.5 MBChemistry Science drugs science americanchemicalsociety atoms chemistry history ions molecules Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
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In the 1960s the drug thalidomide caused over 10,000 babies across the globe to be born with deformed limbs. Scientist Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey blocked its production in the US, saving countless lives. But since then thalidomide has been approved by the FDA. Why?
Today we tackle how thalidomide's chemistry caused a pharmaceutical disaster and why it's still around. You’ll hear from two researchers: one in the US and one in Brazil, a place where there are still cases of thalidomide embryopathy.