What Is Thalidomide? History, Medical Uses, and Modern Cancer Therapy

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-Is-Thalidomide-History-Medical-Uses-and-Modern-Cancer-Therapy.aspx Once synonymous with one of medicine's greatest tragedies, thalidomide has re-emerged through decades of scientific discovery as a cornerstone of modern immunomodulatory therapy, reshaping the treatment of multiple myeloma while providing enduring lessons in drug development and patient safety. Few drugs have undergone a clinical trajectory as extreme as thalidomide, from widespread use to global withdrawal following catastrophic teratogenic effects. The subsequent reintroduction of thalidomide in carefully controlled settings has repositioned it as a clinically important treatment for multiple myeloma and erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), while its use in many other inflammatory diseases remains investigational or limited to selected refractory cases.