thalidomide was marketed in the 1960s as a treatment for
Thalidomide
Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in West Germany under the trade name Contergan . The German drug company Chemie Grünenthal developed and sold the drug . Primarily prescribed as a sedative or hypnotic , thalidomide also claimed to cure `` anxiety , insomnia , gastritis , and tension '' . Afterwards , it was used against nausea and to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women . Thalidomide became an over-the - counter drug in West Germany on October 1 , 1957 . Shortly after the drug was sold in West Germany , between 5,000 and 7,000 infants were born with phocomelia ( malformation of the limbs ) . Only 40 % of these children survived . Throughout the world , about 10,000 cases were reported of infants with phocomelia due to thalidomide ; only 50 % of the 10,000 survived . Those subjected to thalidomide while in the womb experienced limb deficiencies in a way that the long limbs either were not developed or presented themselves as stumps . Other effects included deformed eyes and hearts , deformed alimentary and urinary tracts , blindness and deafness . The negative effects of thalidomide led to the development of more structured drug regulations and control over drug use and development . 
Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in West Germany under the trade name Contergan . The German drug company Chemie Grünenthal developed and sold the drug . Primarily prescribed as a sedative or hypnotic , thalidomide also claimed to cure `` anxiety , insomnia , gastritis , and tension '' . Afterwards , it was used against nausea and to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women . Thalidomide became an over-the - counter drug in West Germany on October 1 , 1957 . Shortly after the drug was sold in West Germany , between 5,000 and 7,000 infants were born with phocomelia ( malformation of the limbs ) . Only 40 % of these children survived . Throughout the world , about 10,000 cases were reported of infants with phocomelia due to thalidomide ; only 50 % of the 10,000 survived . Those subjected to thalidomide while in the womb experienced limb deficiencies in a way that the long limbs either were not developed or presented themselves as stumps . Other effects included deformed eyes and hearts , deformed alimentary and urinary tracts , blindness and deafness . The negative effects of thalidomide led to the development of more structured drug regulations and control over drug use and development .
Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957. Afterwards , it was used for nausea and to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women.
Thalidomide was first marketed in 1957 in West Germany under the trade name Contergan . Afterwards , it was used against nausea and to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women .