Proposed changes to thalidomide survivors’ support program cause concern

The private company managing the federal government’s support program for thalidomide survivors is exploring changes that include dividing an existing medical assistance fund equally among recipients, no matter how severely they were affected by the drug.

Thalidomide, approved for prescription use in Canada in 1961 as a sedative, but prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness, was later found to cause birth defects, including absent or stunted arms, missing legs and fingers, and deformed organs.