If the word “thalidomide” sounds familiar to you, it should be. For it was the name of the drug that was responsible for so many birth defects in the years 1958 until 1961.

The thalidomide scandal happened about half a century ago–but its footprints are still here. The babies whose mothers took the morning sickness pill suffered from serious birth defects.

The drug was marketed internationally to treat morning sickness among pregnant women. About 10,000 babies whose mothers used the drug suffered from defects ranging from malformed limbs to no arms or legs.

On Thursday, the British government made an apology to the victims. Health minister Mike O’Brien told a hushed parliament said, “The government wishes to express its sincere regret and deep sympathy for the injury and suffering endured by all those affected when expectant mothers took the drug thalidomide between 1958 and 1961. We acknowledge both the physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that have faced both the children affected and their families as a result of this drug, and the challenges that many continue to endure, often on a daily basis.”

The scandal boosted the reputation of the US Food and Drug Administration at the time–it was the “lone voice” to refuse the approval of the drug.

(via Yahoo News)