‘A national scandal’: Hundreds of victims of cancer-linked pregnancy drug call for public inquiry

At aged 50, Susie Martin has already undergone her fair share of health procedures. She has endured dozens of surgeries - once going through five procedures in a single year - and will need to have screening for the rest of her life.

She believes it’s all because of a drug her mother was given by medics during pregnancy.

Ms Martin is one of the hundreds of victims of a “silent scandal” involving the pregnancy drug diethylstilbestrol - a synthetic form of the female hormone oestrogen, commonly known as DES, which has been linked to cancer. Like many others, she says the drug, also known as DES, caused her to develop a lifelong gynaecological condition. She now lives in fear for her health, facing tests each year to ensure she hasn’t developed cancer.

A campaign group of more than 300 people, including Ms Martin and her mother Jennifer Bradley, is calling on the government to launch a public inquiry to address what it describes as a national scandal.

Clare Fletcher, partner at the Broudie Jackson Canter solicitors, which represents the group, said: “This is the silent scandal, with victims suffering in pain for decades with limited medical support and no government recognition for what they have been through.

“It is one of the most devastating pharmaceutical failures in UK history and the people whose lives have been marred by it deserve answers.”

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Source: The Independent, 4 November 2025