: Photo: Associated Press
The history of medicine is rife with missteps. Even with today's standards in biochemical sciences and well-funded clinical trials, bad drugs can get into consumers' hands.
We smirk that the words mercury and curative were once lumped together. Or that heroin was part of a physician-sanctioned regimen. But who knows what problems our present ignorance will cause in the future.
In an effort to know the past in order to avoid repeating it, let's take a look at some drug recalls from recent history and the stories that led to the drugs' demise.
Left: Thalidomide
From the late '50s to the early '60s, a German manufacturer sold thalidomide under 40 different brand names in 50 countries. Designed to relieve morning sickness and let pregnant mothers rest, the popular drug soon turned into a nightmare.
Children all over Europe and Africa were born with catastrophic birth defects because of the drug. No one knows exactly how many cases were linked to thalidomide, but one estimate of birth defects put the number at more than 10,000 children.
The United States was spared, however, thanks to the Food and Drug Administration. Frances Oldham Kelsey received a request from a company to bring the drug to the United States, but she had reservations about its safety. Despite pressure from the company, and the fact that dozens of other countries had approved the drug, Kelsey persisted in asking for further studies. Her fears were soon confirmed when...
Wired.com
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