New evidence of Birth defects from Primodos, a pregnancy test

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Primodos is a drug that was developed by pharmaceutical company Bayer Schering Pharma for the treatment of amenorrhea (the absence of the fertility cycle in women of child-bearing age). During the 1960s and 70s it was also used as an alternative to the urine-stick pregnancy test, something that has resulted in it ever since being caught up in questions of whether its manufacturers should be obliged to pay birth injury compensation.

This is because there have been strong suggestions that women who took Primodos during pregnancy eventually gave birth to babies with congenital abnormalities, including: limb defects, heart defects, spina bifida, "fused" fingers and cleft palates.

Many have compared the abnormalities with those caused by Thalidomide. Unfortunately, unlike "Thalidomide children", "Primodos children" have, in the absence of a definitive causal link, so far been unsuccessful in their efforts to secure birth injury compensation.

Peter Walsh, chief executive of the charity Action Against Medical Accidents, explains, "We believe it will be difficult to establish a successful claim for compensation in the case of Primodos because of the time that has passed and the difficulty in establishing a causal link.

"However, it does seem unfair that people who may have been affected have nowhere to go to get help.

Mr Walsh added that, with claimants so far denied any form of redress, the government may have an obligation to step in and act in the interests of the "Primodos generation".

"There is perhaps a case for asking the Government to provide a compensation scheme as they have for people affected by a number of vaccines and blood products. But we would have to build up a case and we would be interested to hear from anyone else who thinks they were affected by this drug," he says.

And it seems that, with Schering believing the issue of litigation closed, unless definitive evidence proving a link between Primodos and birth defects can be found, this may be the only realisable and just solution.
youclaim.co.uk

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• Primodos
• birth defects
• pregnancy test
• defects
• spina bifida
• congenital
• abornamlities
• Schering
• Bayer