THE government is proposing a multi-million-pound settlement for the surviving victims of thalidomide in an attempt to lay to rest the longrunning drug scandal.

Ministers have tabled a deal which would provide each of the 460 remaining thalidomiders with an average of £18,000 a year. The British state would also issue a public apology for its role in the tragedy.

Campaigners for the victims have been negotiating with Mike O’Brien, the health minister, and are due to meet him again this week. A settlement could be announced before Christmas.

The development comes after a Sunday Times-backed campaign for ex gratia payments to be made to the thalidomiders in recognition of the state’s role in allowing the drug to be prescribed on the National Health Service during the 1950s and 1960s.

The victims, who were born with deformed arms and legs or with brain damage after their mothers took the thalidomide anti-morning sickness pills, are now facing spiralling medical and living costs as their bodies start to fail because of the unnatural stresses placed on them. They are having to pay out of their own pockets for wheelchairs and specially adapted cars which cost up to £60,000.

Last week The Sunday Times told how Veronica Pakenham, restricted to a wheelchair because all her limbs have been damaged by thalidomide and who has also suffered a stroke, had been told by a local health trust that she was not entitled to 24-hour care. The ruling was reversed within days of the article being published.

All the UK survivors receive yearly disbursements from the Thalidomide Trust, which is funded by a settlement with Distillers Biochemicals, the company that distributed the drug in Britain.

Until now the government has failed to make a positive contribution, even though a state agency approved the drug for use by the NHS in 1958. When the campaign was launched earlier this year Alan Johnson, the then health secretary, said he was “not persuaded” of the legitimacy of the cause.

Since then 270 cross-party MPs have signed an early-day motion calling for the payments and a series of articles in this newspaper have highlighted the thalidomiders’ plight. Sources close to O’Brien say he accepts the basic legitimacy of the campaigners’ case and its financial implications.

His proposal involves paying about £8m a year to the Thalidomide Trust using personal health budgets boosted by money from central government. Nick Dobrik, leader of the thalidomider campaign, said: “We are hoping that a deal can be agreed in a very short time.”

Dr Martin Johnson, director of the trust who was at the meeting last week, said: “Mike O’Brien made it plain that he was keen to come up with an arrangement focused on helping our beneficiaries.”

The Department of Health said: “Everyone has the greatest sympathy for patients and families affected by thalidomide. Representatives of the trust are meeting Mike O’Brien next week to further discuss their concerns.”

Explore Health

• Expert Advice

• Health Features

• Mental Health

• Alternative Medicine

• Child Health

• Health Club