London ( CNN ) -- So , after a mere half-century , German pharmaceutical firm Gruenenthal has decided to apologize for the devastating effects its drug , thalidomide , had on thousands of babies and their families around the world , myself included . Is this a reason to celebrate ? Is it even a reason for cautious optimism , or is it simply a piece of news management designed to salvage what is left of its corporate reputation ? Gruenenthal 's chief executive , Harald Stock , made the apology Friday as he inaugurated a memorial to those affected in Stolberg , Germany , where the company is based . I was aware of Herr Stock long before his name was flashed around newsrooms all over the world when he made his momentous announcement . Together with others , I 've been campaigning for justice for the global thalidomide community for the past decade . At one point Herr Stock , who replaced Sebastian Wirtz as head of Gruenenthal , agreed to a meeting . We held preliminary discussions , however the process broke down acrimoniously before we ever got to meet Herr Stock after it became clear to all of us that the company had no intention of negotiating a lasting settlement -- one that would have kept them out of the headlines forever and which would have left the Wirtz family with its considerable fortune intact . Personal account : A life shaped by bad medicine . So why the apology now ? I think it is not unconnected with successful litigation in Australia that has resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement for a hitherto unrecognized thalidomide survivor , Lynette Rowe . Although the settlement was achieved at the expense of the British and Australian successor company to the distributor of thalidomide , Diageo , Gruenenthal was also named in proceedings . The writing was spray-painted on the wall for Mr Stock and the board of Gruenenthal . We believe the drug had its origins in the Nazi death camps in Poland -- as uncovered by two solicitors working on behalf of survivors of thalidomide . It is also a matter of record that Gruenenthal 's board in the 1950s included a prominent and convicted Nazi war criminal , Otto Ambros . Respected historian and director of The Thalidomide Trust , Dr Martin Johnson , who has himself uncovered much damning evidence against Gruenenthal has said : `` This is a company that has evil written into its DNA . '' Earlier this year , Lynette Rowe 's lawyers lodged previously secret Gruenenthal records with an Australian court , revealing that for at least two years before the drug was removed from the market in late 1961 , German medical professionals had told the company 's staff they believed women who had taken thalidomide during pregnancy , had given birth to children with deformities . In the U.S. , concerns were such that it was never approved for use by pregnant women . In March 1961 the board could have sensibly decided to withdraw thalidomide from the market in light of claims of birth defects and nerve damage to people taking it . Instead it decided to carry on regardless -- there was far too much money to be made from peddling its toxic 'wonder drug ' . The battle for financial redress will not end with this apology . In fact , if anything , it will make those still fighting for compensation even more resolute . In Australia there is a class action under way and in Ireland , survivors there are launching their own legal action . We , in the UK , are also continuing to work for a permanent settlement . So my advice to Stock and the Wirtz family is as follows : Admit that the drug was not adequately tested prior to release ; admit that evidence of harmful side-effects was ignored and concealed ; and admit that crucial documents 'went missing ' and were unavailable to prosecutors in Germany in 1970 which would have proved corporate and individual guilt once and for all . Those thalidomiders who are still alive are ageing -- and faster than we should because of our disabilities . To help us live as comfortably and independently as possible costs money . Adaptations , medical costs and personal assistants are not cheap . Thalidomide has deprived us of the lives we should have had and many more of any life at all . I believe that both morally and legally , Gruenenthal has a responsibility to help us and will continue to fight until that happens . The Wirtz family has grown fat on the backs of thousands of families whose lives have been torn apart by a medicine originally marketed as `` totally without harm . '' If they really want to make amends , they should put their entire wealth at the disposal of the world 's thalidomide survivors before it 's too late . Britain apologizes to thalidomide victims . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Geoff Adams-Spink .
Geoff Adams-Spink has been campaigning for justice for the global thalidomide community . `` The battle for financial redress will not end with this apology , '' he says . `` Thalidomide has deprived us of the lives we should have had and many more of any life at all . '' He says the company should put their wealth at the disposal of the world 's thalidomide survivors .