Free topic: The importance of stereochemistry in drugs molecule

The tragedy of talidomina

When i did the course of "the pharmaceutic and his action" in the first semester, i always remember  when the teachers tell us the "catastrophe of talidomina", A drug that was used  in the decade of the 50' for treat the complications of the first months of pregnant  for his  pain relieving of queasiness action. Although as a sedative it was effective, the administration of this drug ended in a awful fact: The drug caused congenital malformations.Why?  because the drug was a "racemic mixture"  that means, a mixture of two molecules that were the same, but in a different disposition. So, one molecule was a sedant and the other was the cause of this mutations. An unbelievable story that made me take a great importance to this matter, not only for the historic events, (the study and discovery of the stereoisomerism), but also the importance of the secondary effects, something for my carreer i must know very well, so as not to harm the people,something really relevant. the molecule of the right was the sedant , and the molecule of the left was the cause of many malformations. surprising that the same molecule in different disposition, was so different.