Australia to Apologize for Thalidomide Tragedy

Facts

• On Monday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that the country will issue a national apology to all citizens impacted by the 'Thalidomide tragedy' on Nov. 29.¹
• Thalidomide — an active ingredient in sedative drugs used to treat morning sickness in pregnant women in the 1960s — caused congenital disabilities, including limb anomalies, in the unborn children of those who took the substance.¹
• Calling it 'a dark chapter in the history of our nation and the world,' Albanese said the apology would acknowledge deceased mothers and children, as well the survivors of thalidomide's effects who were 'let down by systemic failures.'²
• The anti-nausea drug reportedly crippled more than 10K children worldwide, while at least 40% of the children born with congenital defects lost their lives within a year.³
• Unlike Canada and the UK, Australia had not publicly acknowledged wrongdoing or rendered a formal apology.⁴
• While the exact number of women and children impacted by Thalidomide in Australia is unknown, 146 survivors are currently registered with the federal Thalidomide Survivors Support Program.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²AA, ³The Guardian, ⁴BBC News and ⁵Independent.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Archive. The former Australian government's failure to allow the drug to be sold to expecting mothers without proper testing or remove it from the shelves after they were informed of its risks resulted in an unprecedented tragedy. The forthcoming apology is too weak and too late to ease the pain of survivors, families, and caregivers.
• Narrative B, as provided by Medical News Today. While Thalidomide produced what is considered one of the world's worst medical disasters, the tragedy forced the medical field to advance safety procedures. The reaction to the tragedy, while not swift, was sweeping and reverberated around the world to protect the consumers of drugs from ill advisement and its consequences. This latest ruling in Australia is another chapter in response to this horrible tragedy and will open the door to potential legal settlements.