New uses and ongoing research

As research into thalidomide continued, doctors found that it helps regulate the body's germ-fighting immune system and helps control inflammation. Studies also showed that thalidomide slows the process the body uses to create new blood vessels. Cancers use this same process to get the fuel they need to grow and spread.

That research led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve the use of thalidomide for treating:

• Skin lesions caused by leprosy (erythema nodosum leprosum)
• Multiple myeloma

Thalidomide research continues as doctors find new uses for the drug. Research has shown some promise in using thalidomide to treat inflammatory skin conditions, such as cutaneous lupus and Behcet's disease, Crohn's disease, and many types of cancer.