Australian women were thalidomide guinea pigs, report says

Australian women were thalidomide guinea pigs, report says

www.heraldsun.com.au

PREGNANT Australian women were used in world-first trials of the notorious morning sickness pill thalidomide before it was tested on animals, it has been reported.

Documents from thalidomide distributor Distillers Company (Biochemicals) show Australian women were used in trials of its drug Distaval in 1960, Fairfax reports.

Trials took place on pregnant women at Sydney's Crown Street Women's and Royal Prince Alfred hospitals from May 1961, with other trials in Melbourne and Adelaide.

(visit the link for the full news article)

A 1962 letter written by a Distillers executive also confirms that "no tests were carried out in pregnant animals before Distaval was marketed", it says.

In 1961, malformed babies were born in Australia as a result of the trials, as well as over-the-counter sales and prescription sales, which began in 1960.

The documents also show Distillers kept promoting the drug to GPs and pushing to include it on Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme despite warnings from a Sydney obstetrician, who said patients of his who'd been taking thalidomide had produced malformed or dead babies, the report says.

This is sickening!

Australian women were subjected to these experimental 'treatments' before animals were. effectively they were treated as inferior to animals.

As a result of this disgusting practice, many deformed or dead babies were born.

This is just further evidence that Australia has always been the testing ground for most things, whether it be dangerous pills to dangerous laws.

www.heraldsun.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

That makes my blood boil! It's so heartless what some humans can do to others.

Reminds me of a NO.FX song. "Thalidomide Child"

Got no arms! Got no legs! Got no head! Now I'm dead! I'm a Thalidomide child [x3] My mommy took a sleeping pill, she didn't know that it would kill! I'm a Thalidomide child [x3] When your born, you try yo hide! but it'll get you, Thalidomide! My mommy took a sleeping pill, she didn't know that it would kill! When your born, you try yo hide! but it'll get you, Thalidomide!

But nonetheless that is disgusting! Shame on them

Originally posted by daaskapital

A 1962 letter written by a Distillers executive also confirms that "no tests were carried out in pregnant animals before Distaval was marketed", it says.

In 1961, malformed babies were born in Australia as a result of the trials, as well as over-the-counter sales and prescription sales, which began in 1960.

The documents also show Distillers kept promoting the drug to GPs and pushing to include it on Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme despite warnings from a Sydney obstetrician, who said patients of his who'd been taking thalidomide had produced malformed or dead babies, the report says.

This is sickening!

Australian women were subjected to these experimental 'treatments' before animals were. effectively they were treated as inferior to animals.

As a result of this disgusting practice, many deformed or dead babies were born.

This is just further evidence that Australia has always been the testing ground for most things, whether it be dangerous pills to dangerous laws.

www.heraldsun.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

It is disgusting, Australia is somewhat a testing ground for certain things and the rest of the world lead..
On the subjects of animals, Why should it have ever been used at all? its ignorant to think it would be better off even tested on animals, as they have more feelings then a lot of humans ever will, do animals go testing things on humans? Nope.
The real animals here are humans who test this on innocent people or anything living.

reply to post by daaskapital


60 Mins Australia ran a story on it last week; German company once owned by an ex-Nazi who worked at the Nazi concentration camps. The company is now run by the children of this man.

reply to post by daaskapital


Man, that is disgusting.



Bottom line ?

Money.

Who cares if it caused deaths..........




S&F , for letting ATS know.

reply to post by daaskapital



INFERIOR TO ANIMALS!!! OMG

get over it we're animals too, and personally I'd rather people don't test on animals.

I think this is disgusting, barbaric and deceitful in itself, no one should be subjected to experimentation with out their consent.

I don't trust testing medication on animals anyways. Aspirin will kill a cat, but we take it. Does that mean it's not safe for all animals, nope some can still take it.

If you want to know how something effects a human being, a human being has to try it as far as I'm concerned. So even though certain animals organs seem to be similar to human beings, I don't think testing it on them first makes it any safer for a human being, and it's down right cruel to the animals.

This is a horrific discovery, but I have to disagree with the comment about animals. Humans are not inferior to animals, but I do not think Animals deserve to have us doing sick things to them in the name of science. Humans are humans, pigs are pigs, cats are cats. Testing on any of these animals, shouldn't be happening to learn about humans.

Humans, should realize many medications and chemicals, and technologies that have been tested on animals first, have caused death, disfiguring problems, and horrible reactions on humans afterwards. If in all the years we have been studying humans and animals we haven't figured out what's dangerous and isn't We've got a lot more studying to do before we release the next xbox, or cellphones. In a society as advanced and "civilized" as we claim to be we should know these things.

My heart goes out to those who suffered this cruelty, and I can't help but be angry about the whole situation, how ever what are we doing to prevent these things from happening again? It certainly isn't the first case of testing on unknowing populace, and probably isn't even close to being the last.

reply to post by Ilyich


Do remember that this was back in the Early 60's...they weren't as technologically advanced as today. Testing animals before productions on a lot of things was usual.

Wow, sorry and disgusted to hear Australia let it go on as well. Wonder if targeting the country like that was well intended by it's uh....makers? In the US it's well known, the baby victims were know as "flipper babies". Even though it was tested on animals in some places showing the same side effects that turned up in humans, it was still used.

Any info on where specifically in Melbourne? Pretty concerning..

This makes me furious I wonder if any women in my family were subject to it. I know my Mum had a miscarriage before I was born which was in 88 in Frankston (South East suburbs of Melbourne for those watching at home).

Interesting development. Can't say it hugely surprises me, but it is disgusting nonetheless.

Might I suggest you read the original story, which the Herald Sun article is just reporting about. A little OT I know, but honestly, Newscorp strikes again. They're now reporting on news reports from other news outlets

it has been reported

Fairfax reports

www.smh.com.au...

There is the original Fairfax report, a far superior article. 'News Limited': the most accurate company name ever.

Regarding where in Melbourne:

Documents show trials of Distaval on pregnant women were conducted by obstetricians at Sydney’s Crown Street Women’s and Royal Prince Alfred hospitals from as early as May 1960. Other hospitals in Melbourne and Adelaide also conducted trials, although it is not known whether pregnant women received the drug.

A July 1960 Distillers memo records the receipt of ‘‘an urgent telegram from the Royal Melbourne Hospital requesting supplies of Distaval’’ and boasts of ‘‘further success with Royal Prince Alfred’’ in Sydney.

The link above has copies of the affidavits if you want to go in search of more info, but it seems like the testing was mainly in Sydney.

That's disgusting, and it would be a big mistake to think they're not doing similar things now

So many lives in ruin, so much pain. Families suffering, animals too. Makes the heart break. And for what? Really. Money. Blood for money. That's all this has ever been about. Morning sickness? There are about 100 different natural remedies for morning sickness used for centuries and nobody died from them, got their limbs amputated or died in misery in a laboratory cage.




reply to post by daaskapital

reply to post by rootbranch2012


So true. I had bad morning sickness and was told it was actually a sign I had a strong pregnancy going on. Morning sickness isn't a disease, it's just a normal though unpleasant phase of pregnancy. No need to throw pharmaceuticals at a problem that isn't really a problem. It is so risky to take any medications while pregnant. I was even very cautious while breastfeeding. I was recovering from a c section and refused all painkillers and did just fine without them.

As a church nursery volunteer I took care of a baby who had no arms or legs as a result of her mother taking thalidomide abroad. I'm not sure what country the mom was in when she was given it, but I remember being surprised because we'd already heard of thalidomide in the USA by then and it had been banned here by then, yet the baby was only about twenty months old. I wonder how that could be.

reply to post by Ilyich


Well, the Nazis tested this drug first on Jews and other prisoners in the Nazi death camps.

Here is the story 60 Minutes ran last week on the subject:

The Bitter Pill:

sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au...

Good for you taking the reigns in your own health. As it should be. Nobody told that poor woman that what the *good doctor* was prescribing was going to cripple her child. But I'm sure the advertisements for soft drinks, cigarettes and candy were going at full force wherever she hailed from. Just that *minor* thing of taking poison somehow missed prime time.

Originally posted by SheeplFlavoredAgain
reply to post by rootbranch2012

 

So true. I had bad morning sickness and was told it was actually a sign I had a strong pregnancy going on. Morning sickness isn't a disease, it's just a normal though unpleasant phase of pregnancy. No need to throw pharmaceuticals at a problem that isn't really a problem. It is so risky to take any medications while pregnant. I was even very cautious while breastfeeding. I was recovering from a c section and refused all painkillers and did just fine without them.

As a church nursery volunteer I took care of a baby who had no arms or legs as a result of her mother taking thalidomide abroad. I'm not sure what country the mom was in when she was given it, but I remember being surprised because we'd already heard of thalidomide in the USA by then and it had been banned here by then, yet the baby was only about twenty months old. I wonder how that could be.

Do you have a reliable source to back that up?

Originally posted by bluemirage5
reply to post by Ilyich

 

Well, the Nazis tested this drug first on Jews and other prisoners in the Nazi death camps.

reply to post by rootbranch2012


Of course I do! I left the link to the 60 Mins story; watch it!