What is thalidomide?

thalidomide is a medicine that is perhaps best known for causing congenital defects. In the middle of the twentieth century, pregnant women were commonly administered as a treatment of morning disease. When many children were born with a congenital defect called Phocomelia, the drug was withdrawn from the market. Because of the tragic consequences of this drug, many countries have accepted stricter drug testing requirements. Over the years, scientists have found that new thalidomide applications that use it as cancer treatment or as leprosy therapy. It also has an activity as an immunomodulator that modifies the activity of the body's immune system. In addition, drugs change the levels of various neurotransmitters in the brain, resulting in a sediment.

The discovery of thalidomides to the early twentieth century. Research has seen its ability to reduce nausea, relieve pain, cause sedation and relieve headaches. These first investigators considered the drug safe to manage all people. Due to their perceived safety and efficiency in alleviating the symptoms of morning illness and notMany pregnant women were given drugs during the fifties and early 1960s.

Unfortunately, the adverse effect of the drug was soon discovered. A significant percentage of pregnant women who were taking drugs have gave birth to children with Phocomelia, a condition characterized by insufficiently developed limbs, reduced intelligence and absent pelvic bones. The development of these congenital defects shocked the public and led to the adoption of stricter drug regulation policies in many countries around the world.

Although the use of thalidomide has a tragic history, the drug has found new Applications over the years. Scientists used the anti -angiogenic properties of the drug in the treatment of conditions such as multiple myeloma. Patients involved with a certain type of leprosy, known as erythema nodosum leprosum, often benefit from taking drugs. Scientists examined treatment under conditions, including chronic graft-versus-hosting disease, Crohn's disease and chronic lymphocytáleukemia. Today, the drug is launched under the Thalidomid® brand when used to treat these conditions.

The common side effects of thalidomide include sedation, fatigue, constipation and weakness. Patients taking medicines have an increased risk of blood clots. Due to the infamous unfavorable effect causing congenital defects, the regulation of drugs is carefully regulated by many countries. In the US, patients must be educated about risks and the benefits of therapy due to the drug. Women from reproductive age on medicines must be a safe method of contraception and obtaining regular pregnancy tests.