Wonder Drug
The Hidden Victims of America’s Secret Thalidomide Scandal
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Wonder Drug
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer Vanderbes
About this listen
The shocking, never-before-told story of America’s thalidomide victims
In Germany on Christmas Day 1956 a baby girl was born without ears. She was the first victim of the notorious thalidomide epidemic. There would be over 10,000 more across 46 countries.
For years the world believed the United States had avoided the catastrophe. After Frances Kelsey at the Food and Drug Administration became suspicious of the dangers of thalidomide in 1960, she led a successful fight to block its commercial approval.
But now, having probed government and corporate archives and interviewed hundreds of key players, Jennifer Vanderbes reveals a darker truth that lay buried for decades. The toxic sedative ostensibly ‘never sold’ in America was widely distributed for over five years under the guise of clinical trials, reaching hundreds of pregnant women. Scores of American babies were, in fact, born with birth defects likely caused by the drug.
Wonder Drug gives a voice to these hidden victims of the twentieth century’s biggest medical scandal, shedding light on the deceptive practices of Big Pharma that still endanger lives around the world today.
©2023 Jennifer Vanderbes (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedCritic Reviews
“WONDER DRUG is both a first-rate medical thriller and the searing account of a forgotten American tragedy. Drawing on six years of groundbreaking research and guided by a keen eye for the indelible detail and an unwavering moral conviction, Jennifer Vanderbes has produced a shocking saga of pharmaceutical malpractice.” Patrick Radden Keefe, author of EMPIRE OF PAIN
“A tale of scientific detective work, corporate corruption on a grand scale, and human resilience in the face of repudiation and tragedy. This is narrative nonfiction at its most compelling.” Margot Lee Shetterly, author of HIDDEN FIGURES
“Vanderbes’s thorough investigative work and her lucid prose bring to life a little-known American tragedy. WONDER DRUG is...compelling...and reminds us why regulatory scrutiny of new drugs matters.” Abraham Verghese, author of CUTTING FOR STONE