Who prevented thalidomide disaster?
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 |
What did thalidomide do babies?
What birth defects did thalidomide cause? Thalidomide created a range of disabilities in babies including shortening and absence of limbs, malformation of hands and digits, damage to ears and eyes, sensory impairment, facial disfigurement/palsy and damage to the brain, internal organs and skeletal structure.
What did Frances Kelsey Do?
Frances Oldham Kelsey took a bold stance against inadequate testing and corporate pressure when she refused to approve release of thalidomide in the United States. The drug had been used as a sleeping pill and was later proven to have caused thousands of birth deformities in Germany and Great Britain.
Can you buy thalidomide?
Thalidomide is available only in a 28-day supply from a certified pharmacy under a special program. You must be registered in the program and agree to use birth control as required. Thalidomide may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Are there still thalidomide babies?
Today, fewer than 3,000 are still alive. In Britain, it’s about 470. Among the nearly 50 countries affected are Japan (approximately 300 survivors), Canada and Sweden (both more than 100), and Australia (45). Spain’s government only recently acknowledged the drug was ever distributed there.
What did Dr Kelsey help uncover about thalidomide?
Dr. Kelsey did not single-handedly uncover thalidomide’s hazards. Clinical investigators and health authorities around the world played an important role, as did several of her FDA peers. But because of her tenacity and clinical training, she became the central figure in the thalidomide episode.
Are there still thalidomide survivors?
Are any of the thalidomide babies still alive?