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• n  a sedative and hypnotic drug; withdrawn from sale after discovered to cause severe birth defects because it inhibits angiogenesis

• Last week, only a few months after thalidomide was denounced as the cause of the worst medical disaster in history, the drug was being hailed in Israel as a possible treatment .
• The deforming effects of thalidomide on unborn children have been known for almost seven years, and the drug's manufacturers are even now on trial in Alsdorf, Germany (PTI, Sept .
• After thalidomide's catastrophic debut, scientists found that the deformities occurred because the drug prevented the formation of new blood vessels.

News & Articles

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• Hagens Berman: U.S. Judge Rejects Pharmaceutical Companies’ Attempt to Dismiss Thalidomide Cases
  In a decision impacting more than 50 lawsuits brought by thalidomide victims in the United States, U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond yesterday rejected several pharmaceutical compan
  Sept. 27, 2013 - Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

Quotes

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• Nicola Sturgeon in BBC News
  Ms Sturgeon said: "After discussions with the Thalidomide Trust, the Scottish government have committed £3.4m to assist the survivors of thalidomide. Half a century later, the survivors of thalidomide are still battling against the disabilities the...
• Richard Smalley in Greentech Media
  My guess is that this won't become a big issue unless there is a thalidomide event,Smalley said. "We will have to see in the rear-view mirror that we are past the peak in worldwide oil production."
• Prince Charles in Taipei Times
  Referring to the thalidomide disaster, he [Carroll] says it `would be surprising if nanotechnology did not offer similar upsets unless appropriate care and humility is observed,'wrote Prince Charles.