In the recent past the following drugs on completion of the LD50 "tests" on hundreds of thousands of animals have flooded the market with disastrous results:

Thalidomide: Greatest drug tragedy in history. Monster babies. Tested six years on millions of animals. Chemie Grunenthal acquitted when long line of medical authorities testified that "the generally accepted animal tests could never be conclusive for human beings". (Humans 60 times more sensitive to thalidomide than mice and 100 times more than rats.)

Diethylstilbestrol: Causes cancers in girls whose mothers took the drug, vaginal cancer in women whose grandmothers took the drug, abnormality in third generation of genital organs on male offspring.

Primodos / Amenorone forte: 100,000 prescriptions written annually. Responsible for thousands of malformed births. (Sunday Times May 1975.)

Slow-k (Ciba-Geigy) (For high blood-pressure.) Brand-leader since 1965. Taken by 12 healthy volunteers for one week who developed ulceration of stomach, gullet, bowels. (Sunday Times 3.10.82.)

Tagamet (Cimetidine) (For ulcers.) Causes stomach cancer. (New Scientist 17.9.81.) The Committee on Safety of Medicines UK claimed: "This casts doubts on the whole basis on which we determine drug safety." Drug still on market though not proven safe.

Clioquinol: Caused 30,000 cases of blindness or paralysis and thousands of deaths (Tokyo 1978). Still marketed as Mexaform, Enterovioform, Intestopan, Sterosan and other trade names. A supposed cure for diarrhoea. Reportedly paralyses the human gut and causes dehydration.

Clioquinol: Now being dispensed to children in African countries
(and probably washed down with polluted water.)
What the children need is clean water, sewerage and nutrition... not fancy packaged pharmaceuticals.

Valium: No adverse effects on rats and mice. Reported serious side effects and highly dangerous to humans.

Proxicromil (Anti-asthma): Reportedly causes ulcers and kidney tumours in humans.

Opren: Given to 500,000 arthritis sufferers. Reported 70 patients dead, 3000 liver and kidney damage.

Tanderil: (Arthritis drug.) Reported dangerous side effects and deaths (5 in NZ). Dominion 6.1.84.

Phenylbutazone: Reported side effects and deaths. "All drugs have side effects... this is a safe drug in relation to other medicines" Dr Treadwell Dominion 6.1.84.

Butazolidin: (Arthritis drug.) Caused 575 deaths in 193. No adverse effects on hundreds of thousands of rats, mice, monkeys or dogs. Since Christmas 1983 half a million prescriptions issued. Removed from market early 1984 with the admission that "human side effects dangerous and drastic". "We know these things do happen"... commented Dr Boyd, Asst. Dir. Clinical Services, Wellington. (Chairman of the Drug Assessment Advisory Committee and the Restricted Drugs Committee.)

Benoxaprofen: In 1982, 81 deaths, 3000 seriously ill. Admitted that "symptoms experienced with humans could never be detected in animals".

Closic: (also for arthritis.) Passed all LD50 "tests". Caused severe conditions of the skin and membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes. One patient dead, drug withdrawn. (General Practitioner 10.7.81 p. 43)

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