The penumbra of thalidomide, the litigation culture and the licensing of pharmaceuticals.
Fifty years ago several thousand children were born with severe limb defects after their mothers had been given thalidomide in pregnancy. This tragedy caused procedures for licensing new medicines to become much stricter. Where, nevertheless, significant side effects were found it became common to sue for damages. These consequences have caused possibly an even greater disaster damaging many more people and threatening ruin to health services everywhere. The huge increase in both time and cost in bringing medicines to market is increasing their price to unsupportable levels; and only wealthy companies are now able to do so. This requires reform as does litigation for 'statistical' harmful effects.
FRS, FMedSci, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK. pjl100@cam.ac.uk
P J
PJ
Lachmann
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008004:Licensure / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D056737:Safety-Based Drug Withdrawals; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards
D013792:Thalidomide