The use of thalidomide by pregnant women in the 1950s and early 1960s is a tragic example of the consequences of using untested drugs. When scientists first discovered it, they touted it as a wonder drug that functioned as a tranquilizer and painkiller and prevented morning sickness.
Women in Canada and Europe were the first to use it, and more than 10,000 children were born with deformities when the drug was most popular. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ultimately rejected an application to market thalidomide, arguing that the drug required further testing.
The thalidomide scare prompted important changes in how governments regulate drugs that pregnant women may take. The United States Congress passed significantly stricter laws for approving drugs. Thalidomide appears to be making a comeback, however, as researchers have again noticed its effectiveness in treating certain medical conditions. Pregnant women for whom doctors have prescribed dangerous and unproven drugs may wish to consult a birth defect attorney for more information about their rights.
Epilepsy Drugs as a Cause of Birth Defects
Scientists have demonstrated a link between epilepsy drugs and the risk of birth defects. Women who suffer from epilepsy and become pregnant are in a dangerous situation because they usually must maintain their epilepsy treatments. A seizure during pregnancy could harm their babies, yet, at the same time, the epilepsy drugs that they take also pose risks to their babies.
One particular epilepsy drug that has doctors worried is topiramate, which scientists have linked to birth defects in animals. In one study of 178 babies born to epileptic women, 16 had major birth defects. The pregnant women were either taking topiramate itself or in combination with other epilepsy drugs. Dilantin (phenytoin) is another drug used to treat epilepsy that scientists suspect may lead to birth defects.
Methotrexate as a Cause of Cerebral Palsy
Methotrexate is a drug that doctors prescribe to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and dermatomysostis. The FDA lists the drug as teratogenic, or a known cause of birth defects. It is in the agency’s Pregnancy Category X, which is the most dangerous category of drugs for pregnant women to take. For drugs in this category, the FDA warns that the risks of taking the drug outweigh its benefits. Researchers suspect that methotrexate may lead to a lack of oxygen and fetal brain damage which causes cerebral palsy.
Doctors may prescribe pregnant women drugs that scientists have not yet sufficiently tested. These drugs that the women may use during pregnancy or delivery may have severe consequences for their child that will affect the child the rest of his or her life. Contact a cerebral palsy attorney at Cappolino, Dodd, and Krebs, LLP if a drug has lead to a birth defect for your baby.
