Thalidomide was synthesized in 1954 in erstwhile West Germany and marketed as a
sedative in over 46 countries until the early 1960s. Owing to serious teratogenic effects, the
drug was withdrawn from the market in 1961. A chance observation suggested the utility of
thalidomide in
erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). After many controlled and uncontrolled trials were published, the World Health Organization recommended its use in ENL. The Food and Drug Administration, USA approved it for use in ENL in July 1998. Only established and well-defined studies conducted to substantiate the efficacy of
thalidomide have been included in this review.
Thalidomide is considered the
drug of choice for the treatment of ENL, but for other conditions, it is recommended only when resistance to the currently available form of
therapy is encountered. Once the anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-
TNF-alpha and anti-angiogenic properties of
thalidomide were discovered, it was also tried in
AIDS and related wasting, apthous
ulcers,
microsporidiosis and
Kaposi's sarcoma.
Thalidomide has no clinical place as an
immunosuppressant in solid
organ transplantation. However, it has a therapeutic role in graft-verus-host-disease. Among the dermatological conditions,
thalidomide has been found to be effective in
systemic lupus erythematosus,
discoid lupus erythematosus,
actinic prurigo and
prurigo nodularis. Used correctly, it is a safe and effective medicine (except for its teratogenic potential and delayed neuropathy) in a variety of disease conditions.