Pros And Cons Of Thalidomide

Thalidomide was a pharmaceutical produced by the German company Chemie Grünenthal that hit the market in 1957. It was intended for use as a sedative and treating morning sickness in pregnant women, along with a slew of other uses. Thalidomide was a miracle drug. It was much cheaper than many other sedatives, so many people could afford it. Due to the variety of uses, it could beneficial to almost everyone. It was advertised as so safe, even pregnant women could take it. Thalidomide was quickly made available in 46 countries and was popularly used. The use continued until a major string of serious birth defects was traced back to mothers around the world taking the drug while pregnant. The producers of the drug had used the innocent-until-proven-guilty
principle, and had only tested it on lab rats. Soon thereafter Thalidomide was soon banned across the world (Knutel, 2005).
However, half a decade later, it reemerged as an effective treatment for leprosy and other skin diseases. Today, it hold promises as a cure for certain cancers (Crawford, 2013). There is a growing controversy on whether or not its use should be continued as it could possibly save many lives, or if it should be forever abandoned to ensure no risk of the horrific effects again. Thalidomide caused many birth defects in babies whose mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy. After the connection between the birth defects and thalidomide was made, it was quickly identified as a teratogen. Although it is not certain how Thalidomide causes birth defects, the leading theory is that it enters the womb by penetrating the placenta. Once the pill is taken by the pregnant mother, it breaks down into metabolites, or products of metabolic reactions. One of these metabolites is CPS49. CPS49 can break through the defense of the womb and start causing problems. It kills developing blood cells, and very few are left alive. In the early stages of development, the undeveloped limbs on the fetus don’t receive enough new blood cells to continue developing, so they are not able to fully
form. The women who took thalidomide during the first trimester had the most serious malformation with their babies, because their limbs were still developing. A large number of babies were affected by the drug because it was used by their mothers in order to combat the morning sickness they experienced during the beginning of their pregnancy. (Zimmer, 2010).
It is unethical to continue the use of thalidomide because of all the trauma it has caused and could continue to cause.
Thalidomide causes severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women, and it is unethical to put unborn children at risk of such malformation. If women are unware of the risks associated with thalidomide, they could continue its use during their pregnancy, affecting the fetus by depriving its developing limbs of the blood cells that are necessary to complete the developmental process. When thalidomide was first marketed and used by many pregnant women to help with morning sickness, about 10,000 children were born with serious birth defects. The victims of the sub-lethal effects of thalidomide are now forced to struggle to “resolve their loathing of what the drug did with the knowledge that it could help others”, causing them distress (Elash, 1997, P 2). It is unethical to put the previous victims in this situation by continuing the use of thalidomide. Use of the drug to combat other diseases during pregnancy could result in birth defects. Though it is regulated in countries such as the U.S., its use in developing countries with less regulation can lead to the continued birth of thalidomide babies. These affects have already been seen in Brazil. In 1965, it was approved for treatment of skin lesions and leprosy. As there are 30,000 new cases of leprosy diagnosed annually in Brazil, this seemed again to be a miracle drug that would help a significant number
of people. Millions of doses have been distributed yearly since 1965. However, the people are not thoroughly educated and warned about the risks, so some women unknowingly continue use of thalidomide during their pregnancy. Since 2005, 100 Brazilian children have been born with birth defects caused by thalidomide. There is also an issue of environmental justice. Many people in Brazil contract leprosy and skin lesions from living in slums and impoverished areas, where the disease thrives. Therefore, many of the people who use thalidomide are those who live there. They use the drug for relief from their disease, but cannot also afford contraceptive pills in order to prevent pregnancy. (Crawford, 2013). It is unethical to continue the use of thalidomide because when used in developing countries without strict regulations, it goes against environmental justice, as it would be unfair treatment of people in poverty.
Although there are many risks associated with thalidomide, it is still ethical to continue the use of thalidomide because it can effectively treat a variety of diseases and save many lives. There is currently a large number of severe diseases either cured by thalidomide or being tested with promising results. It is especially effective on erythema nodosum leprosum, a severe form of leprosy. It is also being used to treat myeloma, a cancer in bone marrow, as well as other cancers. Thalidomide not only boosts the immune system in defending cancer, but because it kills blood vessels, it can dramatically decrease the size of cancerous tumors. Other diseases with promising results include tuberculosis and Crohn’s disease (Novis, 2006). It is unethical to withhold thalidomide from those whom it can help. Randy Warren, a thalidomide baby, said, “If it is going to stop people from suffering, we do not want to deny them from getting it"(Warren, 1997, P 1). Even those affected by the negative effects of thalidomide cannot refuse the opportunity to help the thousands of people suffering from the various disease that thalidomide subdues. The risks associated with the use of thalidomide can be avoided through strict regulations of the drug. In Canada, its use can only be prescribed if conventional treatments have been tried and do not work, and it requires approval from the federal Health Protection Branch. People are well educated of the risks before taking the drug. In the U.S., the FDA monitors the approval of thalidomide to patients. It is the most regulated drug in the country (Hamburg, 2012). If thalidomide is strictly monitored, its continued use has the potential to cure many people of diseases. The benefits of the continued use of thalidomide outweigh the risks it holds.
Thalidomide is an extremely dangerous drug. It causes severe birth defects by entering the womb and withholding essential nutrients to the developing baby. Thalidomide should be approved for continued use in very strict circumstances, with everyone involved aware of the risks. Its ability to benefit so many people with otherwise incurable diseases cannot be ignored, so if it can be used safely, it should be used.