Modern Unawareness - March of Dimes

There is a burgeoning interest in Thalidomide as a "new" therapeutic agent for a broad spectrum of disorders. Unfortunately, there is a concurrent lack of knowledge by the younger generation of its teratogenic properties.

According to a representative from the FDA's Marketing Practices and Communications Branch, "we found that two thirds of those under 45 years didn't recognize the word (thalidomide) ...". Perhaps, the March of Dimes can devise a campaign for Thalidomide akin to educational programs about Folic Acid's role in preventing spina bifida (taken in part from a JAMA report "Thalidomide Back Under Strict Control" in Medical News & Perspectives, October 8, 1997).