Wonder Drug: The Hidden Victims of Americas Secret Thalidomide Scandal

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The shocking, never-before-told story of Americas 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 centurys biggest medical scandal, shedding light on the deceptive practices of Big Pharma that still endanger lives around the world today.

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

Vanderbess thorough investigative work and her lucid prose bring to life a little-known American tragedy. WONDER DRUG is a compelling read and reminds us why regulatory scrutiny of new drugs matters.
Abraham Verghese, author of CUTTING FOR STONE

A powerful and deeply reported book Vanderbess dogged investigation has finally exposed the true scale of this public health catastrophe, giving us an important story that honors
unsung victims and heroes while blowing the lid off decades of cover-up.
Charles Graeber, author of THE GOOD NURSE and THE BREAKTHROUGH

Author Bio

Jennifer Vanderbes is an award-winning novelist, journalist and screenwriter whose work has been translated into sixteen languages. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and The Atlantic. Her novels and non-fiction have received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the New York Public Library. She was named a 2019-2020 NEH Public Scholar for her work on WONDER DRUG.