title: Thalidomide. A surprising recovery.
abstract: The epidemic of birth defects in Europe in the early 1960s attributed to thalidomide led to stringent and unprecedented drug safety requirements in many countries. No definitive mechanism of action has been determined for the biological activities associated with thalidomide. Food and Drug Administration and congressional concerns about the handling of clinical investigations of thalidomide led to sweeping new regulations for clinical trials. Thalidomide is currently being used clinically to treat such conditions as cachexia associated with HIV and cancer, mycobacterial disease, and autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: Celgene Corporation, Warren, N.J., USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stirling
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D002100:Cachexia / Q000188:drug therapy; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D019247:HIV Wasting Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007917:Leprostatic Agents; D013792:Thalidomide