Effects of thalidomide on fetal development in rabbits and on establishment of pregnancy in monkeys

Medication with thalidomide (150.0 mg/kg) in pregnant New Zealand white rabbits resulted in a wide range of teratogenic changes in the kits. The most predominant effects were seen in the limbs (arthrogryposis, micromelia, absence of digits). When rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) were fed thalidomide in the diet (150.0 mg/kg), interference with establishment of pregnancy occurred. No pregnancies were observed in the five medicated females while two unmedicated controls delivered normal young.