Leadership (Abuja)
George Agba
19 February 2008
Kano — Pfizer pharmaceutical company that is facing trial for alleged administration of illegal clinical trial of Trovan, which claimed 200 lives in Kano, yesterday accused the federal government of delaying proceedings in the matter before the court.
The company made the accusation at the Federal High Court, Abuja, when a prayer by victims of the controversial drug test to be joined as parties to the case stalled proceedings on the matter.
Apparently frustrated by the inability of the court to go on with the mater, Pfizer charged that the case was a ploy by the Federal Government to delay proceedings in the matter because a similar court had earlier struck out its application.
Government had filed the suit against the pharmacueitcal company after declaring that its administering of Trovaflozacin mesylate, popularly it branded "Trovan", on the kids in Kano, whereby using the children as "guinea pigs" for testing the meningitis drug, was illegal.
The court, headed by Justice Anwuli Chikere, asked lawyers to the parties in the matter to file their preliminary objections and counter affidavit because it would entertain the fresh application for joinder before hearing the substantive case, which was earlier fixed for adoption yesterday.
She consequently adjourned the matter to March 10, 2008.
In the suit filed on May 2, 2007, the government alleged that the defendant devised a scheme under which it carried out the illegal act under the pretence of rendering humanitarian medical assistance to the victims in the wake of the epidemic that ravaged the northern states in April 1996.
Government also claimed that Pfizer "did create experiment and brought to the market its product, Trovafloxacin mesylate" which it branded "Trovan" and administered on kids that were receiving medical attention at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) during the epidemic, adding that this affected between 150,000 to 200,000 patients.
The government is seeking for an order compelling the pharmaceutical giant to pay the sum of $500 million expended in providing treatment, compensation and support to the victims and their families as well as the $450 million it spent on public enlightenment to erase societal misgivings and prejudices that arose from the test 11 years ago.
It also demanded for $1 billion damages being the loss of the plaintiff's failed health programmes caused by the societal misgivings, as well as $5 billion being general damages, from the defendants.
Besides, government averred that Pfizer failed to disclose its intention to experiment the drug on the vulnerable victims and conducted the clinical test on the kids without authorisation of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
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