Australia has expressed regret to survivors of thalidomide. How has Europe handled the fallout from the scandal?

This week, the Australian government formally apologized to thalidomide victims. Victim recognition has been inconsistent throughout Europe.

In response to Australia's apology to victims on Wednesday, survivors of thalidomide, a medication that was prescribed globally in the 1950s and 1960s, have demanded an apology from the Irish government.

"We dare to dream Ireland will follow suit and allow us long overdue closure to a tragedy not of our making and allow the tiny cohort of previously unacknowledged survivors here to be brought in from the cold," the Irish independent newspaper quoted Finola Cassidy, a spokesman for the Irish Thalidomide Association.

She continued by saying that despite worries expressed about the drug's effects, the nation—of which there are an estimated 40 survivors—failed to remove it in 1961.

The Irish government has been contacted by Euronews Next for a statement

The action was taken in response to Australia's historic decision to issue an apology for the scandal that affected 20,000 people globally in the middle of the 20th century.

On the 62nd anniversary of the drug's removal from the market, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed survivors in Australia's House of Representatives, saying, "We owe apologies to Australians harmed by thalidomide."

"Today, Australia will finally offer its apologies," he stated. "These apologies relate to one of the darkest chapters in our history" .

The thalidomide scandal in Europe led to significant adjustments in pharmaceutical regulations. 

However, to what extent did the drug affect women and children in Europe, and what is the status of official recognition of the harm the drug caused to people's lives?

infants with severe limb deformities

The drug thalidomide was introduced as a safe substitute for barbiturates in 1953 and was created by the Swiss pharmaceutical company CIBA.

It was first intended to be used as a sedative or tranquilizer, but its uses soon spread to include treating a wide range of illnesses, including the flu, colds, nausea, and morning sickness in expectant mothers.

During the 1950s and 60s, it was distributed in 46 countries, with the notable exception of the United States, where the FDA never gave its approval.

Pat Sparrow, an Australian midwife, began to have doubts. In 1961, she and her superior, Dr. William McBride, sent a letter to The Lancet, a scientific journal, pointing out that pregnant women who had taken the drug had a high incidence of birth defects.