Answer in Organic Chemistry for aish #268371
March 27th, 2023
2c) briefly why chemically did the prescribing of thalidomide for morning sickness in pregnant women lead to tragic consequences, including teratogenic effects?
The drug caused over 10,000 cases of a limb reduction defect called phocomelia—from the Greek for seal fin—with only 50% of these babies surviving. By the 1970s, the drug was banned from most markets. This tragedy led to a major change in our testing guidelines for drugs.