December 18, 1970. Decades after the end of WWII, a Nazi doctor is on trial. Today is judgment day in a long, difficult legal battle, but this case isn’t about war crimes. The German pharmaceutical company Grunenthal is charged with the worst medical disaster in history: the Thalidomide scandal. The shoddily tested and hastily approved drug made its way into medicine cabinets around the world, and a decade after its release, the reality is becoming clear: Thalidomide is killing babies. Who are the heroes who brought down Thalidomide? And how did this disaster change pharmaceutical regulations forever?

Special thanks to our guest, Michael Magazanik, author of Silent Shock.

** This episode originally aired December 14, 2020. 

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HISTORY This Week

The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios

The Thalidomide Disaster and the Doctors Who Uncovered the Truth

DEC 8, 202525 MIN
HISTORY This Week

The Thalidomide Disaster and the Doctors Who Uncovered the Truth

DEC 8, 202525 MIN

Description

December 18, 1970. Decades after the end of WWII, a Nazi doctor is on trial. Today is judgment day in a long, difficult legal battle, but this case isn’t about war crimes. The German pharmaceutical company Grunenthal is charged with the worst medical disaster in history: the Thalidomide scandal. The shoddily tested and hastily approved drug made its way into medicine cabinets around the world, and a decade after its release, the reality is becoming clear: Thalidomide is killing babies. Who are the heroes who brought down Thalidomide? And how did this disaster change pharmaceutical regulations forever?

Special thanks to our guest, Michael Magazanik, author of Silent Shock.

** This episode originally aired December 14, 2020.

--

Get in touch: [email protected] 

Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek

Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠

To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices