Apart from treatment in cancers, thalidomide has been proven effective in treating diseases such as AIDS, Behchet disease, lupus, Sjogren syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, macular degeneration. Thalidomide has also been proven to assist in the treatment of a side affect of leprosy called erythema nodosum leprosum. It can reduce the horrific swelling in a manner of hours. This swelling would otherwise, be due to a reaction from the body to foreign cells, which releases a protein which increases blood flow. Thalidomide is able to block this protein, reducing the inflammatory effects. Now that the ban on thalidomide has been lifted, it is being used as a treatment for leprosy in many continents. This has recieved much critical acclaim and many people argue that the drug is just far too dangerous. In response to such a claim, one must consider the fact that thalidomide just has far too much potential in curing diseases, for it to be condemned for poor prescription of the drug.
The new found uses of thalidomide were only discovered by chance, by an Israeli physician, Dr J Sheskin who administered the drug as a sedative, to six leprosy patients, after finding a bottle that had not been recalled. The next morning, the patients awoke to find that their swellings had gone down. The drug is now prescribed in pill form, under the name of Thalomid and is taken nightly in a single dose. Side effects of thalidomide may include sleepiness, drowsiness, constipation, skin rash, severe headaches, stomach aches, peripheral neuropathy (numbness and pain in your arms, hands, legs and feet) dizziness and nausea, giddiness or nervousness at higher doses, depression or mood-swings, a general sense of illness and of course, congenital limb malformation. In addition to this, it is believed that some form of permanent nerve damage may be suffered as a result of thalidomide.
Many people believe that working with thalidomide is simply too dangerous to comprehend. One argument is that the only reason thalidomide was discovered to be the cause of these malformations is that the 'seal-like' limbs had not been seen before. If an analog of thalidomide were to cause a reaction such as a cleft palate or brain damage, thalidomide may not be identified as the cause. Many other people believe that the drug may not be prescribed properly or simply misunderstood and more thalidomide babies may be born. This has happened in Brazil, where a new wave of thalidomide babies have been born due to labels on the thalidomide bottles being misunderstood. An answer for this problem would be to push for tougher legislation and regulations to be imposed on thalidomide such as clear pictures on thalidomide bottles.
The way in which thalidomide works is a great mystery. The problem in studying thalidomide is that it can not be observed in vitro. However, even though the precise mechanism of thalidomide is unknown, this does not mean it cannot be used in treatments for diseases. Using drugs without knowing their mechanisms has been done for years, for example, Many ancient people brewed tea from willow bark in treatment for fevers: the beginnings of aspirin. Just as aspirin has been isolated and synthesised from the willow bark, analogs of thalidomide are being researched in order to produce a drug which has all the beneficial properties of thalidomide and others that may be encountered, without the harmful side effects.
In conclusion, I believe that any other drug that had the same potential as thalidomide, without the dark history, would be hailed as a new wonder drug. Patients with multiple myeloma cancer alone number over 20,000 in Europe alone. Sufferers of diseases that thalidomide can treat would run into the hundreds of thousands. Thalidomide must not be overlooked. With research, I believe all the toxic and tetragenic effects of thalidomide could be eradicated. The company Celgene is already on its way to achieving this goal. As time passes, I believe thalidomide will shake its bad reputation and with added media coverage, could be praised for its miracle potential.
References
BBC Panorama investigation into Thalidomide. Aired 18/02/04.
http://www.neuro-oncology.org
http://www.bbc.co.uk
http://www.fda.gov
http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk
http://www.thalidomide.org
http://www.tlchm.bris.ac.uk
http://www.the-scientist.com
Florence AL. Is thalidomide to blame? Br Med J 1960
FDA Medical review of Thalidomide Clinical Development. J Woodcock 1998