TIL: Talk about heroes in public service. Vioxx gets a bit more of a pass because the company withheld data from its studies, which points to the need for more regulation of clinical trials, not less.I mean, it's not like thalidomide was a big deal. The fact that it was never approved in the US is a blow against capitalism or some shit.
In the United States, pharmacologist Frances Oldham Kelsey M.D. withstood pressure from the Richardson-Merrell company and refused Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market thalidomide, saying further studies were needed.[81] This reduced the impact of thalidomide in United States patients. Although thalidomide was never approved for sale in the United States at the time, millions of tablets had been distributed to physicians during a clinical testing program. It was impossible to know how many pregnant women had been given the drug to help alleviate morning sickness or as a sedative.[96]