Medicine has been practiced since prehistoric times, always with the intention of finding a cure to those illnesses which afflict us. In general, medicines have proved that they are effective, and we wouldn’t be living the lifestyle we are living today if we did not have the means to treat conditions which have prolonged our life.

This, like all other medicines, was the hope of Thalidomide, which is a drug that was developed in the 1950s by the West German company Chemie Grünenthal GmbH. It was originally intended as a tranquiliser but was soon used for treating a wide range of conditions, including morning sickness in pregnant women.

14 pharmaceutical companies were marketing thalidomide in 46 countries with the drug being prescribed for a range of conditions including for relieving the symptom of nausea often experienced in early pregnancy. In the 1950s, scientists did not know that the effects of a drug could harm a foetus in the womb, so the use of medications during pregnancy was not controlled. Thalidomide caused many side-effects to the foetus with limbs and internal organs including the brain, eyesight and hearing all possibly being affected.

In the few short years that thalidomide was available, it's estimated that over 10,000 babies were affected by the drug worldwide. Those thalidomide babies that survived live with the effects of the drug to this day, 60 years after the placing on the market of the Thalidomide drug. Responsibility for this human tragedy has only been partly shouldered and until this very day, thousands of Thalidomide survivors around Europe are still facing many difficulties.

This includes around 30 to 40 estimated survivors living with disabilities related directly with the effects of the drug in Malta. These survivors, unlike other survivors, have never been compensated for the negligence of the German manufacturer and even the British Authorities who failed to ban the drug from Malta in the 1960s. This led to hundreds of miscarriages and children being born with deformities in Malta during the same period.

Despite of the motion for a resolution, which has been voted by the European Parliament on in December 2016, there has been little progress in regard to compensation for victims. Both Chemie Grunenthal GmbH and the German Government along with the Member States in question must shoulder responsibility. One has to keep in mind that many survivors around Europe are unable to pay to cover the costs of social services. This is one of the biggest concerns of thalidomide survivors who are today in their 50’s and 60’s.

I have asked the European Commission to act and ensure the full implementation of the 2016 motion for a resolution on support for Thalidomide survivors and to set up a framework at European level where all EU citizens effected by Thalidomide would receive compensation amounts regardless from which EU Member State they come from. Furthermore, I also asked the Commission to draw up an EU program for assistance and support including financial and welfare provisions for Thalidomide victims and their families.

Lack of attention and responsibility by this company and all those states who distributed it in their countries led to unneeded tragedy for these individuals. The fact that these survivors have not been given the compensation and help they deserve means that their suffering still extends to this day. This injustice has gone for too long and the European Commission has no reason not to implement the resolution passed in 2016. A process of healing must start now, and it must start with just compensation.

 

Alex Agius Saliba is a Member of the European Parliament