US Thalidomide Survivors
Most people believe no "thalidomide babies" were born in the U.S. Learn the TruthHow Many Thalidomide babies Were born in the US?
Every source from 1962 through 2019 has quoted an incorrect number of “thalidomide babies” born in the United States. FDA records investigated by journalist Jennifer Vanderbes suggest that dozens of babies were never identified or officially counted.
The official FDA count released in the 1960s was seventeen thalidomide babies born in the United States. Nine of them were born to mothers who took samples made by American drug companies. Eight other mothers said they obtained the drug in other countries.
We have reasons to believe there were many more. In 2023, Random House will release a new book, WONDER DRUG: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THALIDOMIDE IN AMERICA AND ITS HIDDEN VICTIMS, detailing the previously unreported suspicions raised by the original FDA investigation.
USTS launches campaign to find survivors
This week, US Thalidomide Survivors launches a nationwide Facebook campaign to try to locate — as many as possible — thalidomide survivors in our country!
The campaign consists of two posts, and asks “Do you believe you are a U.S. survivor of the drug thalidomide?”
A few of approximately 75 Members we have located since 2016
Bonnie: born in Illinois in 1962
JoJo: born in New York in 1962
Jean: born in Ohio in 1962
Gwen: born in Ohio in 1962
Darren: born in Missouri in 1962
Kim: born in Pennsylvania in 1959
Jan: born in Oklahoma in 1962
Tawana: born in North Carolina in 1963
Gianna: born on a US Military Base in 1962
Latest News
Continued thalidomide research will honour survivors and help future patients
by Neil Vargesson; printed originally in The Press and Journal, November 29, 2021 In late November 1961, the controversial drug thalidomide was withdrawn from the market. It had been approved as a safe and effective sedative in 1957 and was later shown to be useful in...
German family behind Thalidomide apologises to victims
FROM THE IRISH TIMES, NOVEMBER 29, 2021, by Derek Scally in Berlin, Olivia Kelly, Dublin Editor. Photo by Nick Bradshaw The Government is coming under increasing pressure to issue a State apology to Thalidomide survivors after the German family behind the drug...
USTS launches campaign to find survivors
This week, US Thalidomide Survivors launches a nationwide Facebook campaign to try to locate -- as many as possible -- thalidomide survivors in our country! The campaign consists of two Facebook posts, featuring two of our non-profit organization officers (Gwen...
Podcast: Neil Vargesson on “Thalidomide –The Drug and Woman That Changed the FDA Forever”
In a recent Inside Out Quality podcast, Neil Vargesson (who was part of our USTS Online Speaker Series in 2020) was the guest, alongside Justine Peterson, P.A. They covered an overview of Thalidomide and its launch in Europe in the late 1950s. Clinical trials weren't...
British journalist, Sir Harold Evans, dies at 92
Known worldwide to Thalidomide survivors as a hero -- the journalist who led the ground-breaking investigation into Thalidomide in Europe -- Sir Harold Evans has died of congestive heart failure. In the 60s and 70s, and indeed all his life, Sir Harold Evans fought to...
Client who sued Hagens Berman over failed Thalidomide case settles
From the PENNSYLVANIA RECORD, Thursday, September 24, 2020 PHILADELPHIA – With the case set to press on after a harsh ruling from the judge hearing it, the law firm Hagens Berman has reached a settlement with a disgruntled former client. On Sept. 17, Carolyn Sampson...
From Our Blog
Why we had to make “Thalidomide in the USA: the Forgotten Survivors”
The fact that the world still thinks there were no -- or very few -- thalidomide survivors born in the US is still a source of amazement for me. We have done an exceptional job, I feel, of documenting our story in this website, and traffic has increased each month. US...
A 60th anniversary, and “Prescribing Horror” — a week for thalidomide
It has been a week in the thalidomide world. November 27 marked the 60th anniversary of the market withdrawal of Contergan (the German trademark name for thalidomide). This anniversary was commemorated by the German Association of People affected by Thalidomide...
Jan Garrett
My name is Jan Taylor Garrett, and I serve as an at-large member of the U.S. Thalidomide Survivors Board of Directors. I love my husband Dan, kitties, all things purple, and my friends and family. I was born in February of 1962 in Oklahoma City, OK. My disability is...