Phillip Knightley

Sunday Times of London Insight Team

Thalidomide, was hailed as a "wonder drug" that provided a "safe, sound sleep". Thalidomide was a sedative that was found to be effective when given to pregnant women to combat many of the symptoms associated with morning sickness. The drug was tested on animals. When given to pregnant women, thalidomide was a catastrophic drug with tragic side effects. It caused startling birth malformations, and death to babies. Birth defects included: deafness, blindness, disfigurement, cleft palate, and phocomelia (short limbs). The FDA did not approve thalidomide in the United States. Around the world, in the late 1960's and into the early 1970's, the victims of the drug thalidomide and their families entered into class action legal suits against the various drug companies who manufactured and/or distributed the drug. This book tells the story of thalidomide in Great Britain and how the parents overcame the formidable obstacles placed in their way to secure a just settlement for their children.

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