In a toxicology report done by Professor Florian Basserman, it is seen …show more content…
Trials started only two years before the release, while most drug trials take 8 times longer than that in order to be proven as safe (CCFA, 2016). This is a “Type I error”, which means that the drug was approved as safe to use and was later found to be harmful (Philipson, 2012). Chemie Grünenthal tried to make a deal with an American company, which was rejected, and so eventually made an arrangement with the William S Merrell company in the United States. Chemie Grünenthal should have taken the rejection from the first company as a warning that the drug should not be marketed as safe for even pregnant women. This drug caused many birth defects that resulted in emotional and physical pain and displacement. Chemie Grünenthal did not apologize until 50 years after the incident, making this pharmaceutical sale a serious ethical issue.
Because of thalidomide, the FDA has made a stricter drug-authorization regime. In 1962, the FDA passed the Kefauver Harris amendment, which made stricter regulations on drugs sold in the United States. This has caused other tragedies that have happened elsewhere to be protected in the United States (Philipson, 2012). This drug now is back to treat leprosy, AIDS, cancer, and multiple myeloma, which greatly helps these weak populations (NCBI,