Australian thalidomide survivors and their families deserve a formal apology and financial support from the government, a report recommends.

A Senate committee on Friday released its final report into support for survivors of the morning sickness drug that caused birth defects in thousands of babies worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s.

It found the Australian Government had a “moral obligation” to improve compensation for survivors, many of whom were entering their 60s with severe and worsening health problems stemming from birth defects caused by thalidomide.

Despite having clear evidence linking thalidomide to these birth defects in November 1961 — when the was drug was withdrawn by its manufacturer Grünenthal GmbH — the government failed to recall or destroy the product that was already in doctors’ clinics and pharmacies until August 1962, the committee said.