Comment by dghughes
3 years ago
> thalidomide, a deadly and basically worthless medication,
Thalidomide is what is used to treat erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) better known as just leprosy.
3 years ago
> thalidomide, a deadly and basically worthless medication,
Thalidomide is what is used to treat erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) better known as just leprosy.
It used to be regarded as a miracle drug that could be used over the counter in many circumstances, and as they looked into it they discovered it just couldn't be used safely.
That they've narrowed it down to some use case is more of a testament to the thoroughness of the investigation, I'm sure there are many chemicals that could treat leprosy this just happens to be the one we understand how to manufacture and when it is safe to use.
I'm sure it's very meaningful for the people who do take it, but that is what I meant by "basically worthless."
You are obviously deeply and aggressively ignorant about pharmacology. Thalidomide is an effective immunomodulator which is prescribed for multiple conditions beyond just leprosy.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a699032.html
As with any medication there are risks and side effects but that hardly makes it "worthless".
Hey, please omit personal attacks and swipes from your comments, as the site guidelines ask: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25935223 (Jan 2021)
We end up having to ban accounts that keep doing this and don't listen to warnings. I don't want to ban you, so please fix this!
That's true, though I'll note that treatment options seem to have broadened a bit [0]. Thalidomide is effective, but suffers from cost and limited availability (in addition to the teratogenic effects).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7413435/
It's not been recommended in decades.