What was thalidomide tested on?

What was thalidomide tested on?

Thalidomide is a sedative drug introduced to European markets on 1 October 1957 after claims of extensive testing on rodent embryos to ensure its safety.

What is thalidomide tragedy?

Abstract. Thalidomide was a widely used drug in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the treatment of nausea in pregnant women. It became apparent in the 1960s that thalidomide treatment resulted in severe birth defects in thousands of children.

What is Phocomelia?

Phocomelia is a rare birth defect that can affect the upper and/or lower limbs. In people with this condition, the bones of the affected limb are either missing or underdeveloped. The limb is, therefore, extremely shortened and in severe cases, the hand or foot may be attached directly to the trunk.

How did thalidomide go wrong?

The degradation of SALL4 interferes with limb development and other aspects of fetal growth. The result is the spectrum of complications indelibly linked to thalidomide: the deformed limbs and defective organs in children whose mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy as a treatment for morning sickness.

What causes Peromelia?

Peromelia is caused by errors in the formation and development of the limb bud from about the fourth to the eighth week of intrauterine life. In amelia, one of the rarest of malformations of the extremities, limbs are completely absent. Ectromelia is the absence of one or more extremities.

What is leprosy and what does it affect?

The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. Leprosy is curable and treatment in the early stages can prevent disability. Leprosy is an age-old disease, described in the literature of ancient civilizations.

What is the history of multidrug therapy for leprosy?

In the 1950s, resistance of M. leprae to dapsone, the only known anti-leprosy medicine at that time, became widespread. In the early 1960s, rifampicin and clofazimine were discovered and subsequently added to the treatment regimen, which was later labelled as multidrug therapy (MDT). In 1981, WHO recommended MDT.

How long does leprosy take to spread?

M. leprae multiplies slowly and the incubation period of the disease, on average, is 5 years. Symptoms may occur within 1 year but can also take as long as 20 years or even more to occur. The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and also the eyes.

What is the who technical guide for leprosy/Hansen disease?

In 2020, WHO published the technical guide: a Leprosy/Hansen Disease: M management of reactions and/ prevention of disabilities. This document provides hands-on guidance to health workers to prevent or manage lepra reactions, intermittent and recurring inflammatory episodes that may occur in as many as 50% of cases.