PEDIATRICS Vol. 96 No. 1 July 1995, pp. 89
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THALIDOMIDE MAKES A COMEBACK

J. F. L. MD

Thalidomide, the drug responsible for the deformities of thousands of babies born in the 1950s, appears to be making a comeback. Scientists have recently reported that the sedative, once widely prescribed in Europe for morning sickness but long since banned for such use, may inhibit the AIDS virus as well as alleviate certain symptoms associated with tuberculosis and cancer.

The first American patent for thalidomide was issued in 1958, but last week Gilla Kaplan, an associate professor of immunology at Rockefeller University who pioneered the new thalidomide research, received a patent covering new potential applications for the drug.

"Thalidomide is really the treatment of choice for leprosy," she said. "It alleviates the weight loss and fevers. I figured if I knew how thalidomide worked I would understand what is causing the symptoms."

"... thalidomide slows the body's production of a substance known as tumor necrosis factor alpha, a protein that at normal levels actually helps combat infection and malignant cells. But high concentrations of the protein appear to result in fever, weight loss, and other symptoms in patients with cancer, tuberculosis, and AIDS.