In 2011 Grünenthal started the “hardship initiative”, meaning Thalidomiders affected by hardship could apply for support to fund non-cash benefits focusing on mobility and adaptations of houses and apartments. When questioned about the “hardship initiative” by reporters in August 2012, the company would not reveal how much of those “extraordinary” costs they had so far reimbursed.
Sources: Spiegel Online: 50 Jahre Schweigen (50 Years of Silence), August 31, 2012.