Elixir sulfanilamide was an improperly prepared sulfonamide antibiotic that caused mass poisoning in the United States in 1937. It is believed to have killed more than 100 people. The public outcry caused by this incident and other similar disasters led to the passing of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which significantly increased the Food and Drug Administration's powers to regulate drugs.[1][2]
- ^ Ballentine, Carol (June 1981). "Sulfanilamide Disaster" (PDF). FDA Consumer Magazine.
- ^ "Medicine: Post-Mortem". Time. December 20, 1937. Retrieved 2009-07-19.