Pfizer wins early Nigeria battle
A Nigerian court has refused to allow more cases to be added to a lawsuit against Pfizer accusing the company of improper drugs trials on children.
A Nigerian court has refused to allow more cases to be added to a lawsuit against Pfizer accusing the company of improper drugs trials on children.
According to a BBC report, the court rejected a bid by the Nigerian government's counsel to include 85 new claims - in addition to an earlier 54 - agreeing with Pfizer that it had been improperly filed.
Trovan, which was still unregistered at the time, was tested during a meningitis outbreak in Nigeria's north-western Kano State. Officials in Kano allege that more than 50 children died in the experiment, while many others developed mental and physical deformities, but Pfizer says only 11 of the 200 children in the drug trial died.
Following pressure, the Nigerian government set up an expert medical panel to review the drug trial. It concluded that the experiment was 'an illegal trial of an unregistered drug', a claim that Pfizer denies. It says the trial was conducted in accordance with Nigerian regulations.
The Nigerian government wants US$7bn in damages and compensation for the families of the children who died or suffered serious side-effects.