A man who claims a drug his mother took while pregnant caused him to be deformed is spearheading a battle for compensation against the drug company.

Karl Murphy, 35, was born with his two middle fingers missing on one hand and his other fingers bent inwards.

He also has no toes on his left foot and one missing on his right foot, the Daily Mail reports.

Mr Murphy claims this is because his mother was advised to tale Primodos, a drug prescribed as an alternative to a traditional pregnancy test and that came to be known as ‘the forgotten Thalidomide’.

Although previous lawsuits against Schering were unsuccessful, as negligence could be proved but not causation, Mr Murphy has sought legal action in a renewed bid to claim compensation for his disabilities.

"It really upsets me that a drug company can wash its hands of ordinary people who have done nothing wrong. We have been forgotten about and someone must be held accountable," he commented.

Thalidomide first appeared in the 1950s when it was used as an anti-morning sickness drug. However, its side effects were realised when children began to be born with shortened, deformed limbs.