Thalidomide (pregnancy anti-nausea drug)

• • Harm: Up to 30,000 infants born with severe malformations.

• • Animal Tests: “Safe” in 10+ species (rats, rabbits, dogs, primates, cats, pigs, etc.)

• • Reality: Animal models failed to predict human teratogenicity.

Vioxx (arthritis drug)

• • Harm: 320,000 heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac events; estimated 140,000 deaths.

• • Animal Tests: Showed protective cardiac effects in multiple species.

• • Reality: Caused cardiovascular toxicity in humans, leading to withdrawal in 2004.

Isuprel (asthma medication)

• • Harm: 3,500 deaths in the UK alone due to cardiac complications.

• • Animal Tests: Used on rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and monkeys.

• • Reality: Doses safe in animals led to human deaths.

TGN1412 (autoimmune therapy)

• • Harm: 6 healthy human volunteers experienced cytokine storm and organ failure at 1/500th of the dose tested in animals.

• • Animal Tests: Safe in monkeys.

• • Reality: Left volunteers with lifelong damage; one nearly died within hours.

BIA-102474-101 (neurological drug)

• • Harm: Brain hemorrhage and death in clinical trial; 5 others critically harmed.

• • Animal Tests: Safe in dogs at doses 500x higher.

• • Reality: One man died; study halted.

Fialuridine (hepatitis B treatment)

• • Harm: 5 human deaths; 2 others suffered organ failure.

• • Animal Tests: No liver toxicity in mice, rats, dogs, monkeys, or woodchucks.

• • Reality: Human-specific mitochondrial toxicity.

Fasiglifam (type 2 diabetes drug)

• • Harm: Human clinical trials showed liver toxicity, halted development.

• • Animal Tests: No toxicity observed.

• • Reality: Human transcriptomic screening showed mitochondrial dysfunction missed by animals.

Troglitazone (type 2 diabetes drug)

• • Harm: Withdrawn after causing fatal liver failure in humans.

• • Animal Tests: Approved based on safety in multiple species.

• • Reality: Liver-on-a-chip correctly predicted hepatotoxicity; animals did not.

Curcumin (CF drug candidate)

• • Harm: False hope and wasted research efforts.

• • Animal Tests: Seemed to improve CFTR function in mice.

• • Reality: Shown to be completely ineffective in human cells and organoids.

Oraflex (benoxaprofen)

• • Use: Anti-inflammatory drug (arthritis)

• • Animal Tests: Safe in rats, dogs, and monkeys

• • Harm: Withdrawn after causing fatal liver toxicity and skin reactions in humans

• • Reality: Caused 3,500+ adverse events and several deaths before being removed from the market in the UK and US (1982)

Phenacetin

• • Use: Painkiller (related to paracetamol)

• • Animal Tests: Safe in rats and other models

• • Harm: Linked to kidney cancer and renal failure in long-term human use

• • Reality: Withdrawn from many markets globally after epidemiological data confirmed the risks

Practolol (beta-blocker)

• • Use: Heart arrhythmia and hypertension

• • Animal Tests: Showed no toxicity

• • Harm: Caused vision loss, skin damage, and death in humans

• • Reality: Withdrawn after severe adverse effects were confirmed

Rezulin 

• • Use: Type 2 diabetes drug

• • Animal Tests: Cleared in preclinical testing

• • Harm: Caused hundreds of liver failure cases and deaths

• • Reality: Withdrawn from the US market in 2000 — preceded troglitazone

Eraldin (prenylamine)

• Use: Angina treatment

• Animal Tests: Passed standard preclinical testing

• Harm: Caused eye damage and sudden death in patients

• Reality: Withdrawn after nearly a decade on the market (1970s)