Ex-head of Thalidomide maker apologises

The former head of the company that made Thalidomide, which led to more than 100,000 miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths and children born with stunted or missing limbs, has apologised to victims and their families for the first time. Michael Wirtz, 82, who is the son of the Grunenthal founder Hermann Wirtz, said sorry on behalf of his family at an online event on Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of the morning sickness drug’s withdrawal from the market. Wirtz said the owners were expected to speak out and ‘‘not hide behind a legal entity of Grunenthal’’.