Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) claim to have discovered the molecular mechanism for the sedative thalidomide (Thalomid, Celgene). The findings could help to improve cancer treatment (Nat Med. 2016 Jun 13 [Epub ahead of print]).
Thalidomide, an immunomodulatory drug developed in West Germany during the 1950s, was marketed in Europe as the first safe sleeping pill—even for pregnant women. It was later linked to birth defects (e.g., flipperlike arms and legs)