No, not really. Actually it was completely different. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide_scandal#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide

No, not really. Actually it was completely different. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide_scandal#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide_scandal#United_Sta... >In the U.S., the FDA refused approval to market thalidomide, saying further studies were needed. This reduced the impact of thalidomide in U.S. patients. The refusal was largely due to pharmacologist Frances Oldham Kelsey who withstood pressure from the Richardson-Merrell Pharmaceuticals Co. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide#Change_in_drug_regulations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide#Change_in_drug_reg... >In the United States, the new regulations strengthened the FDA, among other ways, by requiring applicants to prove efficacy and to disclose all side effects encountered in testing. The FDA subsequently initiated the Drug Efficacy Study Implementation to reclassify drugs already on the market.