Thalidomide: A
drug
marketed as a
racemic
mixture for pregnant women from 1957 to 1961 in about fifty
countries. (
R)-Thalidomide has
sedative and
antiemetic
effects, whereas the
S enantiomer
is a
teratogen.
This
drug
was responsible for thousands of birth defects (shortened,
malformed,
or missing arms and legs) before it was withdrawn from sale.
