How one scientist averted a national health crisis

Frances Oldhan Kelsey was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician. she works as a US Food and Drug Administrator(FDA).

Early in her career, she received many awards in her working curriculum.

One scientist averted a national health crisis

Thalidomide, which was widely marketed as a medication as well as a surgery for pregnancy-related illness during the first trimester of

reproduction had proven wildly famous in Europe and a boon for its German manufacturer, Chemie Grünenthal.

In early 1960, Kelsey was hired by the Food and Drug Administrator in America. She is the only woman working with the seven full-time and part-time physicians reviewing drugs.

While working on it she received her first application where one of her first assignments was given to review an application of Richardson –Merrel for the drug “Thalidomide”.

The Merrell application landed on Kelsey’s table within weeks of her appearance at the agency. “I was the newest person there and pretty green,” she later said in an FDA spoken history, “so my administrators concluded, ‘Well, this is a very easy one assignment’.

Immediately the application alarmed her. Notwithstanding what she called the company’s “quite fulsome” applications, the consumption and toxicity studies were so inadequate as to be nearly meaningless

According to her research, Thalidomide was a drug which is a painkiller or tranquilizer with specific indication to prescribe the drug to prevent pregnant woman form morning sickness. the drug thalidomide causes estimated birth defects and thousands of fetal deaths worldwide.

Dr. Kelsey rejected the application numerous times and requested more data about the withheld of the drug as she wants to review it for further studies.

The drug she was reviewing was approved so early in Canada and 20 other European and African Countries.

After her statements, she got a lot of pressure from the phthalimide manufacturer.

Kelsey insistence that the drug should be fully tested and vaccinated before it comes to use. as the drug was used in pregnancy it should be tested before use and she started her research and activities on the same.

She also searches for some adequate data and information regarding the effects on the nervous system side effects.

After that scientists discovered that the placement barrier and caused serious birth defects. her post appears in the newspaper of Washington post as a heroine for averting a similar strategy in the united states.

She took a bold stance against the inadequate testing and corporate pressure when she refuses to approve the release of thalidomide.

The had been used for the sleeping pill and was later proven to have caused thousands of birth deformities in Germany and Great Britain.

The post n newspaper comes with it Kesley prevented birth with thousands of armless and legless children.she gives a credit to her working team as well.

Dr. Kelsey and Clinical researchers and health professionals around the world played an essential role, as did numerous of her FDA companions. But because of Dr. Kelsey’s determination and clinical practice, she became the principal person in the thalidomide incident.