The Primodos Scandal - Part 6: Judgement Day

When the tipping point comes, they’ll be queuing up to tell you that the harm caused by pregnancy tests was obvious.

We previously set out the evidence on hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs) such as Primodos, which contained ethinylestradiol and norethisterone. The latter in much larger amounts than those in current combined oral contraceptives. They were supposed to work by inducing bleeding similar to menstruation in those who were not pregnant. 

In 1967, ​​Isabel Gal first reported concerns about malformations in Nature. It wasn't long before the manufacturer Schering removed the indication for Primodos in 1970 as a pregnancy test and that it should only be used to treat irregular periods. 

However, doctors were not informed, and prescribing mainly remained unchanged: more than a million women took HPTs in the UK.

By 1975, the Committee on Safety of Medicines added a warning to the Data Sheets, stating HPTs should not be taken during pregnancy. Two years later, regulators wrote to doctors, saying, "The association is confirmed."  

In​​ 1977, further evidence of their harms accrued. The BMJ published on ma…