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Glite Dictionary
thalidomide

thalidomide

7 9.3
A drug once given for morning sickness that caused severe birth defects
  • noun
  • /θəˈlɪdəˌmaɪd/
  • Archaic
: talidomida
  • The thalidomide tragedy led to stricter regulations on drug approvals to prevent similar cases of harm in the future.
  • thalidomide babies
  • thalidomide-induced birth defects
  • thalidomide disaster

So how was it that thalidomide was recklessly given to so many unsuspecting pregnant women?

Examples

  • In the early 1960s, the drug thalidomide, which was on the market in Europe for the treatment of pregnancy-related conditions, had teratogenic effects on humans.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Suppose the child was born imperfect, just like those unfortunate Thalidomide babies. What was she going to do then?

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Melendez was born without arms after his mother suffered complications from thalidomide, a drug used to help calm morning sickness during pregnancy.

    Blog text (21)

  • In response to the thalidomide-induced birth defects that occurred in the early 1960s, the United States government generally prohibited women of child-bearing age from enrolling in most research studies.

    Academic text (2003)

  • CVS before 9 weeks has a high incidence of fetal harm from focomelia, a condition similar to the birth defects resulting from thalidomide use in the 1950s and 1960s to relieve morning sickness.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In the 1960s, thalidomide was widely prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness but was later withdrawn after causing severe birth defects.

  • Doctors now carefully inform patients about the risks of thalidomide, a drug once linked to serious birth anomalies.

Synonyms

sedative-hypnotic drug
vsthalidomide
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A medicine that calms the brain, reduces worry, and makes you sleep

is a specific drug once used for morning sickness then withdrawn for severe birth defects

Surface Forms

thalidomide singular
thalidomides plural

Etymology

Thalidomide is a modern, lab-style name for a drug made in Germany in the 1950s and formed like many chemical names with the ending -ide. A helpful way to remember thalidomide is that it was a sedative that later became sadly known for causing severe birth defects, so the name now warns people about dangerous medicines.