A MOTHER who has fought for 40 years for an inquiry into a drug which is believed to have caused birth defects will get her wish.

The UK drugs regulator is to examine new evidence about hormone pill Primodos, which was used during pregnancy testing in the Sixties and Seventies. Hundreds of parents believe it went on to cause serious deformities in their children.

The drug consisted of two super strength hormone-based tablets that detected pregnancy by inducing menstruation in women who were not pregnant.

Sheila Harvey was one of thousands of women who were prescribed Primodos, which has subsequently been blamed for children being born with underdeveloped limbs and facial deformities, as well as other medical problems - echoing the Thalidomide scandal.

Mrs Harvey, 75, of Green Lane, Eastwood, believes her son Raymond, now 49, who was born with severe heart and artery defects, was one of those affected.

She said: “I feel very angry. My son has had no life at all. He had a huge operation to correct his heart problem but since then he has been a recluse. He has no friends. He probably should have had counselling.

“We still have a long way to go but its better than its been since I started fighting this 40 years ago.”

A 7,000-page cache of files discovered by a victims’ campaign group includes papers suggesting the British government knew in 1975 that Primodos increased the risk of a child being born with malformations. The drug was withdrawn in 1978.

Families have believed for decades that the drug, made by Schering, which is owned by German pharmaceutical company Bayer, might have been responsible for serious birth defects - something that has been denied by the manufacturer.

The matter will be discussed on Sky Atlantic tonight at 8pm and on Sky News tomorrow at 9pm.