A woman whose son was born with birth defects after taking a hormone-based pregnancy test is demanding answers.
Robyn Hughes, 63, is the first New Zealand woman to publicly share her story after new evidence from Britain this month, which showed women who took the hormone-based pill Primodos had a higher chance of having children with severe deformities or other serious health problems.
Her son was born premature and with tracheostenosis - the narrowing of the trachea.
The Tauranga woman said she was prescribed a hormone-based pregnancy testing pill when she fell pregnant in 1977 - two years after the Government ordered products of that type to be pulled from the market.
Hughes told Mike Hosking it's hard to find out just what went on in this country.
"I'd like to see an expert working group set up by the government so that they can look into it and find out what exactly did happen," she said.
She said that should also mean talking to people who've actually been affected.
"What actually happened in New Zealand - that's what I'm trying to find out and there's not a lot of information about how they pulled the drug."
Robyn Hughes, 63, is the first New Zealand woman to publicly share her story after new evidence from Britain this month, which showed women who took the hormone-based pill Primodos had a higher chance of having children with severe deformities or other serious health problems.
Her son was born premature and with tracheostenosis - the narrowing of the trachea.
The Tauranga woman said she was prescribed a hormone-based pregnancy testing pill when she fell pregnant in 1977 - two years after the Government ordered products of that type to be pulled from the market.
Hughes told Mike Hosking it's hard to find out just what went on in this country.
"I'd like to see an expert working group set up by the government so that they can look into it and find out what exactly did happen," she said.
She said that should also mean talking to people who've actually been affected.
"What actually happened in New Zealand - that's what I'm trying to find out and there's not a lot of information about how they pulled the drug."
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE
Primodos
• Primodos, a pregnancy-test pill, was introduced in 1958 in Britain and was on the market for 20 years.
• It contained strong hormones which were later used in the morning-after pill.
• Archived German documents exposed by British media this month drew a connection between Primodos and birth defects
• Women who took the drug were found to have a five-to-one risk of giving birth to a child with malformations
• The first mention of Primodos in New Zealand was in New Ethicals in 1966.
• Primodos was distributed by Schering in New Zealand from 1966.
• It was banned here in 1975, taking effect from June 9.
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