thalidomide
noun
tha·lid·o·mide
thə-ˈli-də-ˌmīd 
-məd
-məd
: a drug C13H10N2O4 that was formerly used as a sedative and is now used as an immunomodulatory agent especially in the treatment of leprosy and multiple myeloma and that is known to cause malformations of infants born to mothers using it during pregnancy
Examples of thalidomide in a Sentence
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Read on to learn about the U.K.’s largest child poisoning case since thalidomide and what happened to the families involved.
—
Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The numbers made the Corby scandal the biggest child poisoning case since thalidomide, a drug that was marketed in the 1950s and '60s as a treatment for morning sickness and insomnia.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
In the United States, Richardson-Merrell submitted thalidomide for approval to the FDA in 1960, expecting a breezy passage and plump profits.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
See, everybody knew that thalidomide was round and about.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
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Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The numbers made the Corby scandal the biggest child poisoning case since thalidomide, a drug that was marketed in the 1950s and '60s as a treatment for morning sickness and insomnia.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
In the United States, Richardson-Merrell submitted thalidomide for approval to the FDA in 1960, expecting a breezy passage and plump profits.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
See, everybody knew that thalidomide was round and about.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for thalidomide
Cite this Entry
“Thalidomide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thalidomide. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
thalidomide
noun
tha·lid·o·mide
thə-ˈlid-ə-ˌmīd
-məd
-məd
: a sedative, hypnotic, and antiemetic drug C13H10N2O4 that was formerly used chiefly in Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s especially to treat morning sickness but was soon withdrawn after being shown to cause serious malformations (as missing or severely shortened arms and legs) in infants born to mothers using it during the first trimester of pregnancy and that is now used as an immunomodulatory agent chiefly in the treatment of cutaneous complications of leprosy and in combination with dexamethasone in the treatment of multiple myeloma
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