Isabel Gal obituary

My mother-in-law, Dr Isabel Gal, who has died aged 92, was working at Queen Mary ’s hospital for children in Carshalton, Surrey, in the 1960s when her research suggested that a hormone-based pregnancy test drug called Primodos caused birth defects similar to those seen with thalidomide.Her findings were published in the journal Nature in 1967. In 1975 the Committee on Safety of Medicines issued a warning which was printed on the packaging, but the drug remained in use in the UK until 1978 – and Isabel believed that she was subsequently frozen out of the medical profession.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Drugs Medical research Pregnancy Jack Ashley Source Type: news