Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company, currently in the midst of a legal battle fighting criminal and civil charges against them stemming from an alleged drug experiment in Nigeria that resulted in deaths and disabilities in Nigerian children, recently appealed to a Nigerian court to dismiss the civil case against them.
The suit stems from alleged offenses the drug giant committed against nearly 200 Nigerian children when the company administered an experimental antibiotic, Trovan, to the children in 1996. The Nigerian government is alleging that approximately 200 children either died or suffered deformities following trials of the drug to combat an epidemic of meningitis, measles and cholera. Of the 200 children affected, 11 died and 181 have suffered disabilities including deafness, paralysis, blindness, and brain damage.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Trovan for use in adults in 1997, but later it was associated with liver damage and death, prompting the FDA to restrict its use in 1999 to only very serious adult cases. Later that same year, the drug was eventually pulled from the market altogether.
The Nigerian government claims that Pfizer had no authorization or parental consent to carry out the trial in Africa’s most populous country; Pfizer still insists they did have full approval for use of the drug on the Nigerian children.
The Nigerian government is seeking $7 billion in damages. The government is seeking $500 million for compensation for the victims and their families; another $450 million is being reserved for the outraged Nigerians who suffered loss due to the drug experiment. The federal government is seeking $5 billion for general damages and $1 billion for health programs for the affected Nigerians. Pfizer vehemently denies the charges against them. On July 30, 2007, a Nigerian judge will issue a ruling.
If you or a loved one has suffered adverse side effects after taking a dangerous drug in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale or anywhere in Florida, please visit the website of the Dangerous Drugs Attorneys at The Glick Law Firm.
