Thalidomide maker apologises to those affected by drug

Gr?nenthal, the company in Aachen, Germany, that developed thalidomide, has apologised to those affected by the drug ? but campaigners have dismissed the apology as too little too late.

Thalidomide was used to treat morning sickness between 1957 and 1961, but was then withdrawn after it was found to cause birth defects. This week's apology is the first issued by Gr?nenthal.

"What they're apologising for is not talking to survivors for 50 years," says Martin Johnson, chairman of the UK Thalidomide Trust.

Johnson says the apology, issued on 31 August by Harald Stock, the company's chief executive officer, did not go far enough because it does not discuss what, if anything, Gr?nenthal knew at the time about the anti-nausea drug's ability to cause birth defects when taken by pregnant mothers.

In his apology, Stock stated that Gr?nenthal upheld industry standards prevalent at the time. "We regret that the teratogenic potential of thalidomide could not be detected by the tests that we and others carried out before it was marketed," his statement read.

Johnson takes issue with this ? he claims there was evidence that thalidomide could cause birth defects.

Gr?nenthal is currently facing lawsuits for compensation in the US and Australia. According to Johnson, affidavits relating to the Australian action contain translations of company documents, which apparently reveal that the company was repeatedly warned or notified of cases of birth defects between 1958 and 1961 when the drug was withdrawn.

A spokesman for Gr?nenthal said that most of the documents in the affidavit have been available in German archives for 40 years, and were extensively scrutinised during an earlier court hearing in Germany. The hearing ended in 1970 without a verdict, although Gr?nenthal agreed to pay 100 million Deutschmarks into a foundation to support German thalidomide survivors, adding a further ?50 million in 2008.

The affidavit material has not yet been admitted as evidence in the Australian case. "Neither Gr?nenthal nor the court has had the opportunity to challenge or test such material," said the spokesman, adding that Gr?nenthal will give its own version of events and mount its defence during the trial.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/pr//s/230fce9e/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn222380Ethalidomide0Emaker0Eapologises0Eto0Ethose0Eaffected0Eby0Edrug0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

type 2 diabetes occupy congress juan williams victor martinez alcatraz cruise ship martin luther king jr.