Drugs: Fallout from Thalidomide

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David's mother was taking a tranquilizer during her pregnancy nine years ago. So was Richard's mother, a year later. For both, the drug was prescribed under its British trade name, Distaval, one of the innumerable synonyms for thalidomide.* By whatever name, thalidomide had tragic effects on thousands of the unborn. David was born with neither arms nor legs. Richard has legs but no arms and only a single digit projecting from his right shoulder.

In London two weeks ago, a high-court trial ended with a landmark settlement against the Distillers Co., which made Distaval under license from its West German originators. It awarded David $49,920 and Richard $30,720. (At the request of Mr. Justice Hinchcliffe, the family surnames were not published.) Hinchcliffe explained that he had tried the cases together because David represented the most serious bracket of deformities and Richard the middle range.

Considering the care required by the children, the settlements were hardly generous. Richard can walk, run and climb stairs. He can write well with his foot—but not with his artificial right hand. He cannot wash or dress himself, go to the toilet alone or brush his hair. Although he is in school and has an IQ of 124, it is doubtful that he can go on to a university. David is immobile, except for rocking movements, and probably will be unemployable all his life.

Hinchcliffe said he hoped that the outcome of the two cases would lead quickly to settlements in other suits involving about 60 British children, whose parents desperately need money to pay for extraordinary care. Countless families are in similar straits in West Germany, which has more than 2,500 tha-lidomide-deformed children. Last week the marathon trial involving executives of Chemie Grunenthal GMBH, developers of thalidomide, droned through its 150th day. It is expected to drag on through next spring.