Pregnancy test given to 1.5m is linked to defects
40 years on, a bombshell study into ‘forgotten thalidomide’
A pregnAncy test taken by about 1.5million British women in the 1960s and ’70s has been linked to serious birth defects by scientists.
primodos was taken off the market in 1978 following rising fears that the high doses of hormones it contained caused brain damage, heart defects and shortened limbs in babies.
campaigners who have been battling for decades to get compensation for hundreds of families affected by primodos have called it the ‘forgotten thalidomide’ – after the notorious morning sickness treatment that caused deformed limbs in thousands of babies worldwide in the 1950s.
previous studies of primodos were unable to prove a link to human defects, but now the first study in three decades – using zebrafish embryos as they react similarly to human foetuses – has found its key ingredients do cause deformities.
The study’s lead author, Dr neil Vargesson, from the Institute of Medical Sciences in Aberdeen University who has also researched the effects of thalidomide, said: ‘Our experiments with zebrafish embryos show quite clearly the effects the primodos components have. We are seeing damage in zebrafish which is similar to the damage in human patients.’
The Daily Mail first raised the issue of the ‘forgotten thalidomide’ a decade ago, when reporting on the case of Karl Murphy, who was teased and called ‘ lobster claw’ after being born with two middle fingers missing on his right hand, shortened fingers on his left hand and missing toes.
primodos was made up of two pills containing a powerful synthetic dose of oestrogen and progesterone, which worked by bringing on a woman’s period if she was not pregnant. But the hormones – used in small amounts in the morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy – are now believed to cause nerve damage and stop blood vessels forming in embryos, which could be to blame for babies with deformed hands and shortened limbs. That is still disputed, however, with a recent government review concluding the scientific evidence ‘does not support a causal association’ between hormone pregnancy tests and birth defects.
In the latest study, zebrafish embryos given primodos showed signs of deformity after just one hour, suffering bent spines and heart defects after 24 hours.
Dr Vargesson added: ‘ The assumption by some previously has been that the doses given to mothers was too low to cause any damage, but our study shows the primodos components accumulate in embryos because they don’t have a fully functional liver that can break down the drug.
‘This does not mean it would do the same in humans, of course, but we need to carry out more research into these components because they are still in drugs today and, in some cases, in much higher doses than in primodos.’
The Association For children Damaged By Hormone pregnancy Tests says it has members in their 70s caring for children now in their 40s who are unable to communicate or care for themselves. chairman Marie Lyon said: ‘The guilt we all feel has been with us since our children were born, as we felt it was something we had caused but didn’t know how.’
german drugs giant Bayer, which owns the former primodos manufacturer Schering, said: ‘Since the discontinuation of legal action in 1982, no new scientific knowledge has been produced which would call into question the validity of the previous assessment of there being no link between primodos and congenital abnormalities.’
‘The guilt we all feel’