Thalidome is a drug which caused a lot of controversy in
the 1970's. It was meant to be a tranquilizer but there was no knowledge of its side
effects until every pregnant woman who took the drug began to give birth to severely
deformed children. This even inspired a cult classic movie back in the 1970's about a
"monster baby" whose mother was presumably taking the medication while she was pregnant.
That aside, the drug was immediately removed once it was connected to the deformity of
so many children.
However, it has been also found that
Thalidome is highly effective in the CURE of some strains of the bacteria which causes
leprosy, which could be a solution for many third world countries who are still
suffering from this infesting disease. Moreover, the drug is also effective in reducing
the effects of body rejection in cases of bone marrow transplant: It looks like the drug
can actually prevent the effects of Grafts vs Host
(GVHD).
What is under consideration at the moment is the
potential use of the drug to treat these types of cases as long as there is 100%
certainty that the patient is not pregnant. Therefore, the case of Thalidomine is
basically that what once was considered to be a source of destruction is now seen under
a new light of scientific hope.
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