Thalidomide, like sodium valproate, killed babies as they formed in the womb. It was released in the United Kingdom in 1958 as a treatment for insomnia and morning sickness. It has been found to be safe in animal tests, but has never been tested in humans, has been marketed in 46 countries and has become one of the best-selling drugs in the world. By the time it was withdrawn in the early 1960s, the drug was believed to have killed 100,000 babies in the womb and left another 10,000 severely disabled. In the United Kingdom he left behind more than 460 children with disabilities. Many were born
