March 11, 2026

The Origin of Weird: Thalidomide Babies

The Origin of Weird: Thalidomide Babies
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A tiny pill promised calm nights and easier mornings, then left a generation of families asking how a “safe” sedative could cause so much harm. We unravel the thalidomide story from its meteoric rise as a gentle sleep aid to the global wave of birth defects that followed, tracing how a single oversight in early pregnancy testing reshaped medicine, regulation, and public trust.

We walk through the crucial developmental window—roughly weeks three to eight after conception—when limbs, ears, and organs form, and explain how thalidomide’s interference with embryonic blood vessel growth led to phocomelia and other severe defects. You’ll hear how two physicians, Widukind Lenz in Germany and William McBride in Australia, independently connected the dots, and why the pattern they saw forced governments to pull a best-selling drug from shelves worldwide. We also spotlight Frances Oldham Kelsey at the FDA, whose insistence on stronger data kept thalidomide from broad U.S. approval and likely spared thousands of families.

The conversation doesn’t stop at crisis. We examine the regulatory revolution that followed: stringent proof of safety and efficacy, phased clinical trials, and rigorous reproductive risk evaluation. We also explore the drug’s surprising second act—its tightly controlled use for complications of leprosy and multiple myeloma—and what that says about the thin line between harm and healing in pharmacology. Most importantly, we center survivors who adapted with courage and helped drive disability rights and drug-safety reform.

If you care about medical history, bioethics, FDA oversight, and how evidence builds (or breaks) trust, this story matters. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves health and history, and leave a review to tell us what part of the thalidomide saga surprised you most.

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00:16 - Cold Open And Topic Reveal

01:20 - The “Miracle” Sedative Arrives

03:22 - Marketed As Safe For Pregnancy

06:56 - A Surge Of Rare Birth Defects

10:32 - Global Pattern And Medical Clues

13:20 - Linking Thalidomide To Fetal Damage

16:55 - Human Impact And Survivors’ Lives

19:36 - Regulatory Failures Exposed

WEBVTT

00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:17.039
Oh hey there.

00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:18.480
Oh hey there.

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:20.559
I am Fred.

00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:22.079
I am Kate.

00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.440
This is This is take two.

00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:32.159
We had cat incidences.

00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:38.799
Too many of them to they they sneak in and then they attack the cords and no, Oliver attacks the cords.

00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:40.079
Oliver attacks the cords.

00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:41.679
Anyway, so this is take two.

00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:43.039
Um we're starting over.

00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:44.079
How are you?

00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:45.600
History of Buffoons.

00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:46.799
Okay.

00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:48.399
Yes.

00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:55.359
This is um the origin of Weird History Foons, and today we're going to talk about phthalidomide babies.

00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:56.399
Yes, I am well.

00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:57.119
How are you?

00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.479
This is so.

00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:07.359
Do you ever like drive by a car crash and just like you know, people are gawking, like, oh, what happened?

00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:08.079
Oh, for sure.

00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:08.959
Rubbernecking.

00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:09.359
Yeah.

00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:09.680
Yeah.

00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.799
Um, that's what people would be doing if they watched this right now.

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Look at that car crash.

00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:18.640
Thalodomide.

00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.079
Thalodomide babies.

00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:29.920
So in the late 1950s, doctors and pharmacists across Europe began recommending what seemed like a miracle drug.

00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.359
Which is never it's never a miracle.

00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:45.760
No, because with all the miracle drugs we've had in over time, and it's funny because it seems like a lot of them came from prior times to us, and it's like, eh, did you really know?

00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:46.239
Yeah.

00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:46.799
Okay.

00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:54.079
So it came in small tablets, easy to swallow, and it promised a really good night's sleep.

00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.000
Did they also come in chewable form?

00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:56.959
Not at the time.

00:01:57.359 --> 00:01:59.840
Did they put did they put so they did later?

00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:01.280
We don't know.

00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:01.599
Okay.

00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.719
Maybe perhaps put it in the Flintstones vitamins.

00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:06.000
Did you grow up on those?

00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:06.560
I did.

00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:07.439
I totally did, too.

00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:10.000
Yeah, I think most of our generation did, to be honest.

00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:11.759
It was just candy, basically.

00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:12.560
100%.

00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:18.319
So the medication was called thalodomide, and it was marketed as a gentle sedative.

00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:18.960
Okay.

00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.639
It was easy.

00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:21.360
Nope.

00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.439
It was impossible to overdose on.

00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:28.080
Which again, the human race finds a way.

00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:34.879
And um, unlike other sleeping pills of that era, it had no serious side effects.

00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:35.919
That they knew of.

00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:43.280
And so for people struggling with insomnia, anxiety, morning sickness, even during pregnancy, it was a blessing.

00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:46.240
So pregnant women were encouraged to take this.

00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.879
Doctors believe that it helped nausea during um early pregnancy.

00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.520
Is it nausea or nausea?

00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:55.840
For tomato tomato.

00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:56.960
Is that I think so.

00:02:57.120 --> 00:02:57.280
Okay.

00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.840
I always was curious because I think I say nause nausea.

00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:00.800
Yeah.

00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:02.719
I think it's tomato tomato.

00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:03.599
Okay, gotcha.

00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:07.919
Um, so pharmacists sold it um confidently in several countries.

00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.000
It didn't require a prescription.

00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:17.039
Um, the drug was so widely trusted that some advertisements suggested that it was safe enough for both mother and unborn child.

00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:17.919
Oh boy.

00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.879
And for a while, nothing was wrong.

00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:26.319
Until those mothers, let me guess, started having babies.

00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:29.759
Hence the thal thalodamide.

00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:30.639
Am I saying it right?

00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:31.360
Sure.

00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:31.840
Sure.

00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.319
I mean, who knows if I'm saying it right.

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So touche.

00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:46.240
Um, around 1959 and 1960, something strange became h began happening in the maternity ward in Europe.

00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:47.039
Yeah.

00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:54.560
Doctors started noticing babies were born with severe and unusual deformities.

00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:56.639
Okay, let's get a rundown here.

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What are they?

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Some infants were born without arms.

00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:05.360
Like, so it was just straight, not not even a nub, just straight, no arms.

00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:07.199
I mean, I haven't looked at pictures.

00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:08.560
And I don't think I want to.

00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:09.039
Yeah.

00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:10.960
Because that sounds fucking horrible.

00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:11.599
Yeah.

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Oh, yeah.

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Others had legs that were extremely shortened.

00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:25.519
Um, in certain areas, this is wild, hands seemed to grow directly from the shoulders or feet from the hips.

00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:32.160
That so, like kind of like when I think of the feet like that, I think of E.T.

00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:33.439
Yeah.

00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:33.839
Right?

00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:34.399
You know what I mean?

00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:34.639
Yeah.

00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:35.519
Can you picture it?

00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:35.920
Yeah.

00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:36.399
Yeah.

00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:41.680
You know, I've I think I've only seen that movie once 'cause it scared me as a child and I never saw it again.

00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:43.519
Well, I mean I can understand that.

00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:43.839
Yeah.

00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.360
This is the Reese's pieces.

00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:47.279
Isn't that what scared you?

00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:52.240
No, it was it was actually um the people in suits at the end.

00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:52.800
Right.

00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:54.079
That scared me.

00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:55.279
Yeah, I can see that.

00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:00.079
And then there's also a movie with with Angela Houston called The Witches.

00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:04.079
That scared me as a kid, and my brother was babysitting one time.

00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:05.839
Shout out to my brother Eric.

00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:07.120
So rude.

00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:12.160
He made me watch it while he was babysitting, and I was traumatized even more, and have yet to watch it again.

00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:16.079
And I have not watched the remake with Ann Hathaway, but I digressed.

00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:18.000
Oh, that that's a remake of that.

00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:18.319
Okay.

00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:19.360
I guess I didn't know that.

00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:19.839
Yes.

00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:20.319
Okay.

00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:26.160
So the condition that they were um seeing was called Focomelia.

00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:28.319
Focomelia.

00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:29.600
My apologies.

00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:30.639
Focomelia.

00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:31.839
Focomelia.

00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.560
It was a rare birth defect where limbs failed to develop properly.

00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:37.519
That sucks.

00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:45.519
So these babies were known in the media as thalodomide babies, though at first no one knew the cause.

00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:50.720
So physicians, the sudden increase in these cases were a little unsettling.

00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:51.279
Right.

00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:57.839
Birth defects were extremely rare, but now hospitals were seeing them again and again.

00:05:58.160 --> 00:05:58.480
Jeez.

00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:05.759
So pediatricians were comparing notes, and obstetrician try to identify patterns.

00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:11.519
Some wondered if it was environmental, perhaps radiation or pollution or an unknown virus.

00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:12.079
Right.

00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:14.319
But cases kept appearing.

00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:19.600
So you said over in the UK, this is mainly where you're talking about right now.

00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:23.279
Did these things, because you said it was sold in several countries.

00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.959
Did these same things happen in those other countries as well?

00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:27.519
Yes.

00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.639
And I will get to a little bit more specifics on that starting right now.

00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:31.439
Oh, okay.

00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.959
These cases weren't just isolated to the UK.

00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:39.199
Germany had a wave of these uh births.

00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.920
So did um Australia, Canada, and parts of Asia.

00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:44.560
Wow.

00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:48.319
And doctors started realizing Excuse me.

00:06:52.720 --> 00:07:04.800
Thousands of families were suddenly facing these heartbreaking circumstances with babies born with missing or malformed limbs, damaged ears, heart defects, or internal organ problems.

00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:05.199
Right.

00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.079
And these parents were confused and devastated.

00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:09.040
I would imagine.

00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.360
And mothers were like, What did I do wrong?

00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:13.120
And it's like, it's not you.

00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:14.079
Well.

00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:15.600
But no one could answer.

00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.120
We we they didn't know.

00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:24.959
Okay, so the mystery began unraveling when a few researchers started looking closely at what the mothers had taken during pregnancy.

00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:25.920
Which makes sense.

00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:35.120
You would obviously want to look through that because clearly something's going in them, and then something abnormal is coming out of them.

00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.040
So there has to be a correlation there.

00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:37.759
Yes.

00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:45.759
So one of the first physicians to connect the dots was a German pediatrician named Vitakoden Lenz.

00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:46.879
Vicodin?

00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:48.480
Vidokind.

00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.079
Sorry, Vidokind Lens.

00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:51.759
Vidokind, what's his last name?

00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:53.120
Lenz, L-E-N-Z.

00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:54.079
Oh, okay.

00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:56.000
Vidokind Lens.

00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:57.759
That was Germans, man.

00:07:57.920 --> 00:07:58.240
I know.

00:07:58.480 --> 00:07:59.040
Wild names.

00:07:59.360 --> 00:07:59.759
Wild.

00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:12.720
So as he interviews families, he begins to notice the same pattern that the mothers are starting are taking the same medication earlier in their pregnancy, and that was the thalodomide.

00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:13.360
Right.

00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:20.959
So another doctor in Australia named William McBride noticed the same pattern independent like independently but at the same time.

00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:27.920
So not a not a corresponding study, just he noticed it in Australia, he noted and noticed it in Germany.

00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:29.120
Exactly at the same time.

00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:29.360
Yeah.

00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:29.920
Okay.

00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.080
So the more cases this they studied, the clearer the connection became.

00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:34.480
Right.

00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:48.799
When pregnant women took uh phthalodomide during a very specific window of early pregnancy, roughly between the third and eighth week of conception, the developing embryo could be severely affected.

00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:49.519
Huh.

00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:56.480
The narrow window was exactly when limbs, ears, and other structures begin forming.

00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:57.600
Makes sense.

00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:03.919
Phalodomide interfered with the growth of tiny blood vessels that embryos need during development.

00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:04.480
Okay.

00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.919
So without these blood vessels, tissue couldn't grow properly.

00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:08.480
Yeah.

00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:15.600
Arms might never form, legs might st stop growing halfway, ears and eyes could be damaged.

00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:22.559
So you said some of them just had like hands out their shoulders, if you will.

00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.960
When do hands start growing?

00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:26.159
I don't know.

00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:27.120
Isn't that seems to be a good thing?

00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:32.720
Yeah, because it's yeah, it seems like arms and then hands, but well, you know, yeah, makes the sense and whatever.

00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:37.440
But like I remember seeing the ultrasounds of my kids, and it's like, hey, look at those little little hands.

00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:37.840
Yeah.

00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:40.240
That's just wild that it was such a specific time.

00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.440
But it makes sense if that's when those things start to develop.

00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:43.759
Yeah.

00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.559
I could see how that would severely fuck it up.

00:09:46.879 --> 00:10:00.720
So I mean, if they were taking the drug during the arm development stage and then they stopped taking it, or it went past the arm development stage to the hand development stage, and then that's when those hard to say, but it's just kind of weird.

00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.120
I mean, I'm a doctor, but what?

00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.200
Let's move on.

00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:18.320
So, in some cases, just one or two pills during that window of time could cause permanent changes to that fetus.

00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:18.879
Wow.

00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:19.279
Yeah.

00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:28.639
Did they did they notice, did you come across at all um after that window if the the mother was taking that was were things fine then?

00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:30.080
Or did you not come across?

00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:31.519
I did not come across that.

00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:32.240
That's all right.

00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:32.960
Yeah.

00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:35.120
That would be interesting though.

00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:39.840
Well, yeah, because I mean if it's such a specific window for these certain things.

00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:49.360
And like for many people, morning sys morning sickness continues throughout the pregnancy, not just that first trimester.

00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:50.080
Right.

00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:58.320
Besides the extreme high blood pressure for Sarah, she was very lucky and did not have morning sickness for either child of ours.

00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:00.399
So she got she got lucky.

00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:00.639
Yeah.

00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.639
And it's a good thing she didn't take that.

00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:04.000
Saladomide.

00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.120
Saladomide.

00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:10.879
Because I wouldn't want to see Vesper walking around with feet coming out of her pelvis or whatever.

00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:11.519
No.

00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:13.200
Her hips.

00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:14.720
That'd be weird.

00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:19.919
So by early 1960s, the evidence had become undeniable.

00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:20.559
Sure.

00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:32.879
The drug that had been marketed as a sleep, a safe sleeping aid was was responsible for one of the largest medical disasters of the 20th century.

00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:33.440
Wow.

00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:41.360
So estimates vary, but experts believe that more than 10,000 babies worldwide were born with uh thalodomide-related deformities.

00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:42.159
That's crazy.

00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:43.039
10,000?

00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:46.000
And only about half survived inf infancy.

00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:47.039
Oh, really?

00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.600
I was gonna ask, are there yes?

00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:55.440
So many died from internal organ complications, um, heart and digestive defects.

00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:55.919
Okay.

00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:59.360
And those who did survive faced enormous challenges.

00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:05.120
Um children grew up without arms and learned to use their feet to eat, write, perform everyday tasks.

00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:05.679
Right.

00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:13.279
Others relied on prosthetic limbs, and many underwent dozens of surgeries throughout childhood.

00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.519
Sure, it's just to try and correct anything they obviously possibly could.

00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.639
That would make it really hard to drive.

00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:21.200
Yeah.

00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:22.639
The old ten and two.

00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:30.639
So despite these hardships, many survivors did live on to live remarkable lives.

00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:31.200
Okay.

00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:34.879
Um, adapting in ways that most people couldn't.

00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:35.519
Yeah.

00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:36.000
Really?

00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:36.480
Yeah.

00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:41.759
So the tragedy also exposed some major flaws in how medications were tested and approved.

00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:50.159
Some investigators looked back at the original development development of a thalodomide and they discovered something.

00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:57.120
The drug had been tested on animals, but researchers had not adequately studied its effects on pregnant animals.

00:12:57.440 --> 00:12:58.080
Oh, sure.

00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:01.759
So the impact on fetal development had gone unnoticed.

00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.559
So do you think if they did it?

00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.120
I don't know what kind of animals they mostly test on.

00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:08.960
If it's a chimp or something.

00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:09.519
Yeah.

00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:12.480
Chimp born without arms, that'd be weird as fuck.

00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:13.279
Yeah.

00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:24.720
But um the drug manufacturer, sorry, the drugs manufacturer, a German um pharmaceutical company called Kemi Grunthal.

00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:26.799
That's what it is.

00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:27.360
I like it.

00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:30.559
Um, had promoted um thalodomide aggressively.

00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:32.559
Sure, because they want to make money.

00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:39.440
In many countries, it was sold under dozens of brand names and widely distributed throughout clinical trials.

00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:46.720
And once the link to birth defects became clear, governments put rushed to pull the drug from the market.

00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:47.360
Okay.

00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:52.639
And by late 1961, thalodomide was being uh withdrawn across the world.

00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:53.279
Wow.

00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:58.080
In one country, something unusual had had happened in the United States.

00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:02.639
Yes, the drug had been submitted for approval to the Food and Drug Administration.

00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:03.200
Yeah.

00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:10.480
A pharmacologist named Frances Oldham Kelsey was assigned to review the application.

00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:16.639
As she studied the company's research data, she noticed gaps and inconsistencies.

00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:17.120
Oh.

00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.320
The safety study seemed incomplete.

00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:20.879
Okay.

00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:25.679
Reports of nerve damage in patients raised additional concerns.

00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:34.720
So instead of proving approving the drug quickly, as many would have expected, Kelsey repeatedly asked the company for more evidence.

00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:35.279
Okay.

00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:42.000
Pharmaceutical representatives grew frustrated, and of course, they pushed for her approval.

00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:49.759
Thalodomide was already selling well overseas, and the company hoped to capture the American market, but Kelsey refused to sign off on it.

00:14:50.799 --> 00:15:00.720
So her um insistence on stronger safety data meant that thalodomide never received widespread approval in the United States.

00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:01.759
That's crazy.

00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:06.559
Only small quantities were distributed through clinical trials, which limited its impact.

00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:07.440
Of course.

00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:14.879
So when the global disaster became known, her decision was recognized as a life-saving act of scientific caution.

00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:15.360
Sure.

00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:18.159
In 1962, President John F.

00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:25.039
Kennedy awarded Frances Kelsey the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service.

00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:25.759
That's awesome.

00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:33.440
Her refer refusal to rush approval had spared thousands of American families from the tragedy unfolding elsewhere.

00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:38.000
And the thalodomide disaster changed medicine forever.

00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:43.919
Public outrage pushed governments to strengthen drug safety regulations.

00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:44.320
Okay.

00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:53.440
And in the United States, new laws required pharmaceutical companies to both prove safety and effectiveness before drugs could reach the market.

00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:53.919
Good.

00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.720
And clinical trials became much more rigorous.

00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:57.279
Okay.

00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:01.919
Testing during pregnancy also became a critical area of research.

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:06.960
So is that that's a common practice these days since since this happened, basically?

00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:07.440
Yeah.

00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:09.440
I mean, you it makes sense.

00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:10.000
Yeah.

00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:19.200
Modern drug approval systems with their multiple trial phases and strict oversight owe much to the lessons learned from this uh thalodomide.

00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:24.480
Um words.

00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:26.480
Words are tough.

00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:28.240
Thalodomide disaster.

00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:29.200
Let's go with that.

00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:30.320
Yeah.

00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:37.279
Despite its devastating history, thalodomide did not disappear.

00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:38.080
Imagine that.

00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:45.360
Years later, researchers discovered that the drug had powerful anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects.

00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:45.759
Okay.

00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:58.639
So under extremely strict controls, it began to be used to treat certain diseases, including complications of leprosy and a type of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma.

00:16:59.039 --> 00:16:59.360
Okay.

00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:08.559
Today, thalodomide and related drugs are still prescribed in carefully monitored programs where pregnancy prevention is strictly enforced.

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.119
Wow.

00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:16.400
The same medication that once caused the worst pharmaceutical tragedies in history now helped treat life-threatening illnesses.

00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:17.200
That's crazy.

00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:23.599
It is a reminder that medicine often walks a strange line between this disaster and discovery.

00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:24.480
Yep.

00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:35.680
For the families, uh thousands of families affected, the story of thalodomide was not just a historical left, and it was part of their lives written into their bodies, into their experiences.

00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:36.160
Right.

00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:45.440
Children who were born with missing limbs grew up to become artists and athletes, activists and advocates, all A's for disp disability rights.

00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:52.559
And many survivors have spoken publicly about their lives, determined that the world would never forget the lessons of the past.

00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:56.079
And that is the story of the thaladomide babies.

00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:57.119
That's wild.

00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:57.920
Isn't it?

00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:07.680
That's just weird that, like, I mean, knock on wood that I have all my digits and arms and limbs and my kids do and so on, but damn, I couldn't imagine.

00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.799
And like, great for them that you know they could find a life afterwards.

00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:19.119
It was such struggles early on in life, but poor uh what'd you say, half didn't even make it through infancy, right?

00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:19.920
That's sad.

00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:20.799
It is, yeah.

00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:29.759
It's a lot of kids to have die because a drug company, and you know how I feel about drugs, yeah, you know, stuff like that.

00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:34.400
I I don't even really like taking ibuprofen or whatever if I don't have to.

00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:51.359
So I mean, I know there's ones out there that help people, and that's great, but man, I don't like how like you sit down and if you put on normal TV, it's like 40% of the commercials are pushing these fucking drugs for oh hey, you got a little blotch on your skin.

00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.160
We can make it 70% better, right?

00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.640
Or you could just be like, I don't care.

00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:03.599
But the side effects can lead to death, suicide, and you know, all these other just ridiculous, you know.

00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.880
And I the one that I love always on those commercials.

00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.599
If you're allergic to I know you're drunk here, do not well, no shit.

00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:14.880
It's just like I'm allergic to bees, sting me bee.

00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:26.079
Yeah, no, no, obviously not, but it's just there's so many like side effects from this stuff, and I know it's the funny thing is about the side effects, it could have happened once, but then they have to say it.

00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:31.519
But it's like, good lord, yeah, if we just all wouldn't care.

00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:32.880
Just kidding.

00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:45.440
If we were all just healthy, well, I mean I know I do unhealthy things, unfortunately, but I'm not sitting there putting hard drugs or anything like that in my body either.

00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:48.799
But you know, unfortunately, people have to go through shit.

00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.400
Yeah, it happens, and sometimes some drugs help, and that's great.

00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:56.960
Um, but uh yeah, if we could all just be healthy, that'd be amazing.

00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:58.960
And we're all going for world peace, too.

00:19:59.279 --> 00:19:59.839
Absolutely.

00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:00.559
Welp.

00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:01.519
I suppose.

00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:02.799
All right, buffoons.

00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:04.160
That's it for today's episode.

00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:08.559
Buckle up because we've got another historical adventure waiting for you next time.

00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:10.960
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00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:15.920
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00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:17.599
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00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:22.400
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00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.880
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00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:30.000
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00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:34.880
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00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:38.480
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00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:41.279
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