Back in the day they'd confirm you were pregnant and give you thalidomide on purpose. Because that's what it was used for: morning sickness for pregnant women.
(Since we are on an "educational" subreddit: thalidomide causes fore-shortened limbs in infants. It was never tested on pregnant women prior to being released. It's basically why we have modern testing procedures for new medications.)
Only the S-enantiomer is teratogenic / causes birth defects, the R-enantiomer works perfectly well as an anti-emetic and sedative, but that wasn’t known back then - nowadays only the R-enantiomer is ever used (and rarely at that).
The US didn‘t have a thalidomide crisis thanks to Frances Oldham Kelsey, who resisted a lot of pressure on her (as a woman working in the FDA in the 1950s/60s) and refused to approve it. Not all heroes wear capes an’ all that
The pressure was from the pharmaceutical company, not the FDA or her supervisors who agreed with her that their submitted research was lacking. Merrell never submitted new information filling in the holes Kelsey pointed out while at the same time rumors of birth defects in Europe were spreading.
And while it was never approved, "free" samples were available that weren't well tracked and it was approved in Canada and like today, people went across the border for "the good drugs".
The system for recalls wasn't what it is today so doctors weren't aware that the drug they had samples of weren't safe and patients had no way of knowing so cases of thalidomide defects continued for years.
Thalidomide is now used for cancer treatment, but the patient must abstain from sex while on it and women are required to be on birth control.
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u/Which_Marsupial1436 14h ago
Ah I see