Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly apologized on Wednesday to survivors of thalidomide, a drug widely prescribed for more than 60 years that caused fetal malformations.
At a parliamentary ceremony in Canberra, Albanese apologized to several survivors, on the 62nd anniversary of the drug withdrawal in the country, which left a trail of “trauma, sadness and damage”, according to the prime minister.
“Today, on behalf of the people of Australia, our Government and this Parliament extend a full, unreserved and long-awaited apology to all thalidomide survivors, their families, loved ones and carers,” Albanese said at the start of the event. almost half an hour speech.
“This apology covers one of the darkest chapters in the history of Australian medicine,” when “pregnant women, through no fault of their own, were exposed to a drug with devastating effects and realized it too late,” he said during the event. broadcast on the public network ABC.
There are currently 146 registered thalidomide victims in Australia, although the actual number is unknown, and several of them went to parliament to follow public apologies.
“To the survivors: We apologize for the pain that thalidomide inflicted on each of you, every day,” Albanese said.
Thalidomide, a drug manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH and marketed in the 1950s and 1960s for nausea in early pregnancy, has caused thousands of cases of fetal malformations in different countries.
“The thalidomide tragedy provides a powerful lesson about the need to be vigilant to protect people’s health,” said Australian Health Minister Mark Butler.
The Government today announced the reopening of the Australian Thalidomide Survivor Support Programme, a lifelong support package that includes a one-off payment in recognition of victims’ pain and suffering, as well as ongoing annual payments.
The Health Minister will also unveil a national memorial to survivors and their families on Thursday on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.
A decade ago, a class action lawsuit brought by thalidomide survivors in Australia and New Zealand was settled with compensation paid by the drug’s distributors.
The main malformation detected was phocomelia, a congenital anomaly characterized by the absence or reduced size of the extremities.
Source: TSF
