thalidomide

noun tha·lid·o·mide \ thə-ˈli-də-ˌmīd , -məd \

Definition of thalidomide

:a drug C₁₃H₁₀N₂O₄ that was formerly used as a sedative and is now used as an immunomodulatory agent especially in the treatment of leprosy and multiple myeloma and that is known to cause malformations of infants born to mothers using it during pregnancy

Recent Examples of thalidomide from the Web

The settlement is the most recent chapter in the story of thalidomide, the notorious drug that was developed by a German company and marketed around the world in the 1950s as a sedative and anti-nausea treatment.

— katie thomas, New York Times, "Celgene to Pay $280 Million to Settle Fraud Suit Over Cancer Drugs," 25 July 2017
Because Congress was in a rush to respond to the thalidomide tragedy in the early 1960s, when the babies of some women who took the morning-sickness drug were left with permanent birth defects.

— juliet eilperin, chicagotribune.com, "Illogical forces driving a dysfunctional health-care system," 24 May 2017
Kelsey’s wide-ranging experience in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s would serve her well in the 1960s to recognize the threat of thalidomide.

— nancy kriplen, Discover Magazine, "The Heroine of the FDA," 6 Feb. 2017
But Kelsey’s body of work goes well beyond thalidomide.

— nancy kriplen, Discover Magazine, "The Heroine of the FDA," 6 Feb. 2017
By 1962, reeling from news of birth defects caused by a drug called thalidomide, Congress amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, requiring trials to include enhanced safety testing and placebo control groups.

— steve silberman, WIRED, "Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why.," 24 Aug. 2009

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thalidomide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of thalidomide

phthalic acid + -id- (from imide) + -o- + imide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1958

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

thalidomide

noun tha·lid·o·mide \ thə-ˈlid-ə-ˌmīd , -məd \

medical Definition of thalidomide

:a sedative, hypnotic, and antiemetic drug C₁₃H₁₀N₂O₄ that was formerly used chiefly in Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s especially to treat morning sickness but was soon withdrawn after being shown to cause serious malformations (as missing or severely shortened arms and legs) in infants born to mothers using it during the first trimester of pregnancy and that is now used as an immunomodulatory agent chiefly in the treatment of cutaneous complications of leprosy and in combination with dexamethasone in the treatment of multiple myeloma