Actually I want to thank you as well: Until now, I thought
Thalidomide was a COMMON morning sickness drug in the USA. But
it wasn't; it was primarily a UK problem:
"The U.S. FDA refused to approve thalidomide for marketing and
distribution. However, the drug was distributed in large
quantities for testing purposes, after the American distributor
and manufacturer Richardson-Merrell had applied for its approval
in September 1960. The official in charge of the FDA, Frances
Oldham Kelsey, did not rely on information from the company,
which did not include any test results. Richardson-Merrell was
called on to perform tests and report the results. The company
refused and demanded approval six times, and was refused each
time. Nevertheless, a total of 17 children with
thalidomide-induced malformations were born in the U.S.[43]"
