A British charity has rebuffed the first apology for half a century from the German company which invented birth defect pregnancy drug Thalidomide. The Grunenthal Group said in a statement it "regrets" the consequences of the drug, which was used to combat morning sickness but led to the birth of children without limbs during the 1950s and 1960s. But the apology was rejected as insufficient by the Thalidomide Agency UK, which represents people who were affected by the drug in Britain. Freddie Astbury, the charity's head consultant, said the company needed to "put their money where their mouth is" rather than simply express regret. Mr Astbury, who was born in Chester in 1959 with no arms and no legs after his mother took the drug, said: "If they are serious about admitting they are at fault and regret what happened they need to start helping those of us who were affected financially." | 
