New funding announced to support thalidomide victims

A new 80 million pound funding injection to support English thalidomide survivors has been announced by the Department of Health.

The funds will be provided to the charitable organisation the Thalidomide Trust in annual grants over the next ten years, with the money to be used to help dispense help and support for those disabled by the drug.

Currently, there are 325 individuals in the UK who have been designated as thalidomiders, a term used to describe people left with physical disabilities due their mothers' use of thalidomide as a morning sickness therapy between 1958 and 1961.

The new grant recognises the increasing health needs of thalidomiders as they approach older age, with many of these people being unable to work or requiring adapted homes and cars as a result of their conditions.

Care and support minister Norman Lamb said: "This deal represents our clear acknowledgment that thalidomiders should be supported and helped to live as independent lives as possible."

The trust has described the announcement as a "momentous" decision, while also welcoming the news that further support efforts will also be undertaken in Scotland and Northern Ireland.