Hearing on Pfizer''s Nigeria drug trial to resume on 3 October

01 October 2007

Mumbai: A Nigeriain court will resume hearing on an $8.5 billion suit against US drug maker Pfizer''s alleged drug trials on African children during a meningitis epidemic will resume on 3 October.

Nigeria, which is suing the company for $8.5 billion, alleges the drugmaker deceived patients and caused the death of 11 children in 1996 when it conducted clinical trials for a new drug in the northern state of Kano.

The meningitis outbreak killed more than 12,000 children in six months near Kano, a predominantly Muslim metropolis.

Meningitis is an infection of the nervous system that can kill in hours if left untreated.

Ngozi Edozien, managing director of Pfizer in West Africa, said the company brought the experimental drug, Trovan, to Nigeria in response to an international plea for help.

The test involved 200 children, half of whom received Trovan while the other half received a proven meningitis treatment.