Thalidomide: Bitter Pills, Broken Promises

Home · Health · Public Health · Thalidomide: Bitter Pills, Broken Promises

Topic spans: 1961 - 2002

Thalidomide: Bitter Pills, Broken Promises

It was supposed to be a harmless sedative for expectant mothers, but instead thalidomide caused thousands of babies around the world, including more than a hundred in Canada, to be born with severe birth defects. The Canadian government failed to warn the public of its dangers, and promised to compensate the thalidomide victims; it took almost 30 years for the government to deliver on that promise.

7 television clips

5 radio clips

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

No comments

Thalidomide effects revealed

Broadcast Date: Aug. 1, 1962

Thalidomide, a sedative used by pregnant women to combat many of the effects of morning sickness, first becomes available in Canada in sample form in 1959 and is licensed for prescription use on April 1, 1961. It remains available in Canada until March 1962, three months after European countries ban it, despite clear indications that the drug is the cause of severe birth defects.

Thalidomide effects revealed

• When it was first released on the market, thalidomide was thought to be so safe that it was sold without prescription. It was hailed as a wonder drug that provided a "safe, sound sleep."

Thalidomide effects revealed

Medium: Radio

Program: Trans Canada Matinee

Broadcast Date: Aug. 1, 1962

Guest(s):

Host: Mac Atkinson
Reporter: Warner Troyer

Duration: 3:26

Last updated:
Dec. 3, 2004

End of list