Dark Remedy : The Impact Of Thalidomide And Its Revival As A Vital Medicine

In this riveting medical detective story, Trent Stephens and Rock Brynner recount the history of thalidomide, from the epidemic of birth defects in the 1960's to the present day, as scientists work to create and test an alternative drug that captures thalidomide's curative properties without its cruel side effects. A parable about compassion-and the absence of it-Dark Remedy is a gripping account of thalidomide's extraordinary impact on the lives of individuals and nations over half a century. Contents 6 Preface 10 Prologue 12 1. An Uncertain Utopia 14 2. The Epidemic 32 3. The United States in Peril 52 4. The Aftermath 74 5. Moral Justice and the Press 92 6. Reforming the FDA 114 7. Childrent's Voices, Strong and Clear 124 8. Lazarus Rises 134 9. The HIV Connection 150 10. Thalidomide Approved 168 11. The Mechanism of Action 176 12. One Patient's Account 190 13. Thalidomide and Hippocrates 204 Notes 216 Acknowledgmetns 228 Index 230 A study of thalidomide, a sedatuve that maimed and killed thousands and caused untold birth defects during the 1950s, describes how the drug has made a dramatic comeback to provide a successful treatment for millions of people with arthritis, lupus, brain tumors and cancer, multiple myeloma, TB, and AIDS Describes how thalidomide, a sedative that killed thousands and caused untold birth defects during the 1950s, has made a dramatic comeback to provide successful treatment for millions of people with arthritis, lupus, brain tumors, cancer, tuberculosis, and AIDS "A thoughtful account of the rise, fall, and subsequent rise again of thalidomide's fortunes."-Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, in The New York Review of Books THE BIRTH OF UTOPIA IN THE 1950S proclaimed an era of new dreams.