One of the most reviled drugs in history continues to find new uses. Thalidomide was initially prescribed as a sedative to pregnant women. In the 1950s thousands of European children were born with deformed limbs because of exposure to this drug in utero. Late in the 1990s the FDA approved thalidomide to treat a complication of leprosy, but it soon gained extraordinary success in treating the blood cancer multiple myeloma.
Now researchers report that thalidomide may also be beneficial in treating hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia or HHT. In this condition, there are small malformations in the little blood vessels that supply the skin and lining of body cavities. People with HHT often suffer recurrent nosebleeds that are extremely difficult to control. They may also suffer internal bleeding that can be very serious. If thalidomide proves as effective in humans as it has in a mouse model, it will be a real boon to people with this inherited condition. Other conditions for which thalidomide is being studied include macular degeneration, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
