, the company in Aachen, Germany, that developed thalidomide, has apologised to those affected by the drug 鈥� but campaigners have dismissed the apology as too little too late.
Thalidomide was used to treat morning sickness between 1957 and 1961, but was then withdrawn after it was found to cause birth defects. This week鈥檚 apology is the first issued by 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒.
鈥淲hat they鈥檙e apologising for is not talking to survivors for 50 years,鈥� says Martin Johnson, chairman of the .
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Johnson says , issued on 31 August by Harald Stock, the company鈥檚 chief executive officer, did not go far enough because it does not discuss what, if anything, 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 knew at the time about the anti-nausea drug鈥檚 ability to cause birth defects when taken by pregnant mothers.
In his apology, Stock stated that 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 upheld industry standards prevalent at the time. 鈥淲e regret that the teratogenic potential of thalidomide could not be detected by the tests that we and others carried out before it was marketed,鈥� his statement read.
Johnson takes issue with this 鈥� he claims there was .
骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 is currently facing lawsuits for compensation and Australia. According to Johnson, contain translations of company documents, which apparently reveal that the company was repeatedly warned or notified of cases of birth defects between 1958 and 1961 when the drug was withdrawn.
A spokesman for 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 said that most of the documents in the affidavit have been available in German archives for 40 years, and were extensively scrutinised during an earlier court hearing in Germany. The hearing ended in 1970 without a verdict, although 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 .
The affidavit material has not yet been admitted as evidence in the Australian case. 鈥淣either 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 nor the court has had the opportunity to challenge or test such material,鈥� said the spokesman, adding that 骋谤眉苍别苍迟丑补濒 will give its own version of events and mount its defence during the trial.
